Night watch
by StrangeLuna
Summary: The dwarves are beginning to lose faith in their journey, and Thorin is losing faith in himself. Fortunately they have a hobbit in their midst to keep spirits up. Eventual Bagginshield. (Oh, and I should probably mention that I do not own 'the Hobbit' and that all rights go to Tolkien a.o) !major character death!
1. Chapter 1

**1. **

Thorin Oakenshield had taken first watch on this particular cold and dark night. He eyed the members of his company, who were nestled close together in order to stay warm. He could tell that most of them were fast asleep already. However, one of them got up and walked over towards his leader. It was Balin.

'Bombur appears to be snoring even louder than usual,' he smiled and sat down next to Thorin.

Thorin snorted but didn't say anything and stared ahead, closely watching the other figure that was not yet sleeping. Balin followed his gaze and found himself looking at Bilbo Baggins.

The Hobbit was feeding his pony an apple, like he did every evening ever since they had left the Shire. He had changed over the past few weeks. He seemed less afraid and less concerned. In fact, he had begun to feel at home with the dwarves and made sure they all remained cheerful throughout the day.

'Look at him, Balin,' Thorin muttered.

Balin sighed. 'You should not have brought him with us. He should have stayed in Rivendell when he had the chance.'

But to his surprise, Thorin shook his head. 'I don't know,' he whispered, 'Have you not noticed, how much our company has changed?'

His loyal friend frowned. 'What do you mean?'

'The days are growing darker, we meet more enemies every day and something is telling me it won't be long before we found ourselves in a real battle. And I think they, too, are aware of what lies ahead. And I believe they're beginning to lose hope that we'll ever return to Erebor.'

Balin did not reply, causing a long silence to fall. He held the bridge of his long nose for a while and looked away from the hobbit, to face Thorin again. 'You can't deny that there's a great chance we will fail,' he muttered, slightly worried about how Thorin would take it.

He didn't take it well. 'Not you too?' he said, raising his voice, 'One by one it appears you are losing faith in me. Losing hope that we'll ever see the Lonely Mountain!'

Balin shrugged. 'We're not losing faith in you, Thorin,' he said in an apologetic manner, 'We're losing faith in ourselves.'

Thorin shook his head. 'Then you are wrong. You should have faith. Just like him.' He gestured towards the ponies, where the Hobbit was still talking to the animals.

Balin coughed, not believing Thorin was serious. 'I don't care if all the twelve of you have already given up hope. But not me, nor Gandalf,' and then added with a small smile, 'and nor our burglar.'

'He is foolish.'

'He saved our lives multiple times.'

'He is merely a hobbit, Thorin!'

'I think you're wrong,' the dwarf-prince said earnestly, 'I think Gandalf is right and that there is more to him than meets the eye. But we'll see, in the end.'

As soon as he had spoken the last words , wished he hadn't. For they forced him to think of what was ahead of them. What the end of their journey would bring… He would never admit it to any of his companions, but he was as worried as any of them.

'Yes,' Balin agreed, 'I suppose we will. But Thorin, let's be serious here. You don't truly believe that this hobbit can reclaim the mountain for us? Pass by Smaug unseen?'

'I do,' Thorin said. 'But I do not believe there is need to look that far ahead yet. Especially not for him.'

'Sometimes, I think you care too much about that hobbit,' Balin smiled at his future king.

'Yes,' came the reply in Thorin's low voice, 'Maybe I do.'

Balin didn't keep Thorin company much longer after that and returned to the group, where he dropped himself to the floor and soon fell asleep.

Thorin in the meanwhile, went over Balin's words. There _was_ a chance they would fail. There was a chance they would not even reach Erebor at all, let alone take it back with so few.

But then he remembered Gandalf, and how much faith the wizard had in him, in the hobbit and in all the others. As for the hobbit, he was an interesting one and Thorin had started to care for him more than he had thought possible. Like Balin had said, he was merely a hobbit and the dwarf leader had not expected to ever even like a Halfling.

'What did Balin talk to you about?'

Thorin looked up in surprise. He hadn't heard Bilbo walk up to him. Perhaps he was burglar material after all, he smiled to himself.

'Sorry, I did not mean to startle you,' the hobbit said a bit hesitant.

Thorin immediately recovered. 'You did not startle me, obviously. Although I have to say, you did seem to turn up out of the blue.'

Bilbo grinned, then shrugged. 'Well, I don't know. Perhaps you were just not paying attention.' And as he said this, he quickly slipped a ring back into his pocket, hoping that Thorin hadn't noticed.

He had not. He beckoned Bilbo closer, and gestured for him to sit down. So the hobbit did.

'Well?' he asked curiously, 'what _did_ Balin say to you?'

Thorin smiled at him. 'Nothing important. He just wanted to know what tomorrow plan is,' he lied.

'Well, then, what is the plan?'

'We're just going to follow the road again. And then, just like today, when the sun goes down, we rest.'

Bilbo nodded. He had expected something of the sort. It was like a never ending road they had to follow forever. And as he thought of that, a song came to mind. And before he could stop himself he sang in a quiet voice;

'_Roads go ever ever on,_

_Over rock and under tree,_

_By caves where never sun has shone,_

_By streams that never find the sea._

He stopped, suddenly aware of Thorin sitting next to him, staring at him fondly. 'You have a nice voice,' he said calmly. 'How does it end?'

'Wh- no. Oh no, no, no,' Bilbo stammered. 'I- I don't remember.'

Although he was used to singing in front of an audience back in the Shire. He didn't dare sing a song to Thorin, afraid the dwarf would burst out laughing. He simply didn't want Thorin to think badly of him.

Thorin raised an eyebrow. 'You don't remember? I thought hobbits had some sort of gift for remembering old song lyrics no matter what. And it seemed as if you were about to continue singing…'

Bilbo was about to shake his head again and tell his friend no, but changed his mind when he looked at his face. Thorin's eyes seemed to sparkle and he looked at Bilbo with a certain curiosity that made Bilbo give in. So, he took a deep breath and licked his lips and continued;

'_Over snow by winter sown,_

_And through the merry flowers of June,_

_Over grass and over stone,_

_And under mountains in the moon._

He stopped. 'That's it. So far. There will be a next verse, for when we go home.'

Thorin had to make sure. 'You do believe we will be home soon?'

'You certainly will be,' Bilbo laughed. 'We'll see the Lonely Mountain soon enough, I'm sure of it!'

'I am so glad to hear that, Bilbo,' the dwarf prince replied with a small smile on his face.

Thorin's words surprised the hobbit. 'How do you mean?' he asked, 'Surely you know we'll get there, right?'

He shrugged, then frowned and finally turned to his friend. 'Listen,' he said, unconsciously putting a hand on the hobbit's leg, 'As long as you have faith in this quest, it will come to a good end. Trust me.'

Bilbo frowned. 'I know that, Thorin,' he said confused, 'You don't have to tell me. We can't forget , that we've got a wizard in our midst and some very brave dwarves. Not to mention; we've got you as our leader.'

'I do believe you are leaving someone very important out…' Thorin whispered.

Bilbo genuinely didn't know who he could possibly be referring to, so ignorantly asked him; 'Who?'

'This particular burglar,' Thorin grinned.

Bilbo's face lit up at once and he felt himself getting fairly shy. 'M-me? Oh no, surely you can't be serious. I am…' he hesitated, 'no one, really.'

Thorin looked at him with penetrating eyes, 'I _am_ serious. And you are someone to me.'

And with that being said, he pressed a small kiss on the hobbit's forehead and pulled him a little closer. 'Now sleep, little burglar, there are some long days ahead of us.'


	2. Chapter 2

**2. **

Fili took over Thorin's watch after a couple of hours. He had looked a bit surprised to find his uncle and the hobbit so close together, but decided not to mention it to him.

Thorin nudged Bilbo, who opened his eyes immediately but didn't seem to awake. 'What?' he muttered.

'Come on,' Thorin helped him up and dragged him along to the edge of the forest where the other dwarves were sleeping. As soon as Bilbo lay down on the soft, slightly muddy ground and wrapped his cloak around him again, he fell asleep. Thorin, who finally started to feel tired too, quickly brushed the hobbit's cheek, then lay down next to him and dozed off while thinking about what the morning would bring.

The morning brought a lot of cheerful dwarves and some good news.

After a good breakfast stew from Bombur, the dwarves left – once again – for Erebor. Their journey had cost them most of their ponies, leaving poor William to carry most of their bags. However, Thorin had insisted that the younger dwarves, like Fili and Kili, carried a few things as well. Bilbo had offered to take a couple of pans with him, but Dwalin had been kind enough to take them of his hands after he had dropped them three times within an hour.

After a few good hours of walking, the thirteen dwarves and hobbit stopped quite abruptly. Because, across the road, they saw two figures walk towards them. Dwalin and Thorin, who were a few steps ahead of the company instantly reached for their weapons and had their swords pointed forwards in no time. But Kili, who was a few steps behind, clearly had better eyesight than the rest of the group. 'No!' he cried out, 'Lower your arms. It's lake folk!'

And he was right. A young mother and her son passed the dwarves a couple of minutes later. So, on Thorin's orders, Nori and Dori were sent to talk to them.

They returned with the best news the dwarves had had in days.

'Lake Town is less than a day's walk away from here,' Nori laughed excited.

'If we're lucky we might reach it before dark.'

'Lucky,' Thorin grumbled so quietly that only Dwalin and Bilbo, who had joined them, could hear. 'It's not like we ever are.'

Dwalin grinned and then nodded but Bilbo simply rolled his eyes at the dwarf prince. 'We might be lucky. If we leave now, and do not run into any monster along the way-'

'The hobbit makes me laugh,' Dwalin sneered in his infamous way and slammed Thorin on the back, 'You make up your mind soon, okay?' And with that, he turned around and walked away to end up mocking his brother Balin's size.

'What did Dwalin mean?' Bilbo asked curiously, 'About you, making your mind up?'

Thorin plucked his beard. 'Whether we head for Lake Town, of course.'

'Why wouldn't we?'

'We do not know whether we are wanted there,' Thorin explained, 'I can imagine those humans aren't particularly fond of us.' He then quickly decided that, whether they'd go to Lake Town or not, there was no point in waiting lingering here any longer, so he gestured for the other dwarves to pick up the stuff they'd dropped on the floor and follow him again.

He led the way over the never ending road, with Bilbo right next to him.

'What do you think?' Thorin asked after a while.

'What do I think about what?'

'Should we go to Lake Town, or not?'

Bilbo actually didn't know what to say. Surely Thorin couldn't be serious? The dwarf had made most of his decisions on his own. And if he couldn't work it out, he had asked Balin. Bilbo wasn't used to him being asked for advice.

'I'm not sure whether I'm the person ask,' he said truthfully. He really wasn't sure, after all.

'Neither do I,' Thorin sighed with that familiar small smile on his lips, 'I suppose we'll see.'

'Yes. I suppose so,' Bilbo answered without thinking. 'Wait. What do you mean, 'we'll see'?'

'Go to Esgaroth, yes or no?'

Bilbo held his breath for a while and stared at Thorin in disbelief. So now his answer would be final? _Oh no_ he thought _He can't leave such an important decisions in the hands of a hobbit. It will go wrong. It will go entirely wrong._

And because of that exact thought, he made up his mind.

'I think we should go to Lake Town,' he said.

Thorin laughed out loud. 'I do not know what it was that made you choose so fast, but I'll take it.' He looked over his shoulder and shouted at the rest of the company; 'We head for Lake Town!'

'AYE!' came the reply from Nori, Gloin, Dwalin, Balin and Bofur.

'Sorry,' Ori called, 'But where is that?' Dori was so kind to explain.

Bilbo tried to listen in on their conversation, hoping he, too, would learn something about Lake Town. But Thorin didn't give him the chance. 'How did you make up your mind, burglar?' he asked, forcing Bilbo to stop listening to Dori.

'Well,' he began, 'I thought to myself that I wasn't capable of making a decision of that scale. I was convinced I would choose the wrong option. Which made it all fairly simple.'

Thorin raised an eyebrow, waiting for Bilbo to elaborate.

'It's easy,' the hobbit laughed, 'I thought it would be best if we did _not_ go to Lake Town. But, since I believe I would be choosing the wrong option anyway, it was logical to go with the other.'

'So, you are saying that, because you think it would be best to stay clear from Lake Town, we should go there.'

The hobbit nodded, a serious expression on his face.

Thorin burst out laughing. 'My dear Bilbo, that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!'

For a second Bilbo felt insulted and shot his friend an angry look. But Thorin, who didn't want the Halfling to be upset, immediately explained himself. 'It is not only one of the most ridiculous things, it is also one of the most brilliant plans we have ever had.' He put a friendly arm around Bilbo's shoulders and together they strode along. A whole bunch of singing dwarves behind them.

They were not in luck. The sun went down earlier every day and it didn't take long before the first stars were coming out.

'We can't travel in the dark.' Thorin unbuckled the weapons from his belt. 'We rest here for the night!'

Most dwarves instantly sat down on the forest ground. But Fili and Kili came up to their uncle and tried to convince him to travel to Esgaroth anyway. 'It can't be much longer,' Fili said.

'And there won't be any orcs so close to a city!' Kili added.

But Thorin wisely shook his head. 'I am not taking the risk.'

'No, but you are taking a risk right now!' Kili contradicted. Fili nodded in agreement. His brother continued, 'There is a bigger chance we will be attacked here. If there are monster out here, they would hide between the trees of the forest, don't you think?'

'We could easily make it to Lake Town tonight and have a good night's sleep at an inn. Wouldn't that be better.'

'Oh be quiet!' Thorin bellowed. His nephews immediately looked down and stared at their feet for a while. 'I will not be told what to do. And most certainly not by you.'

'Thorin,' came a voice from behind him, 'They do have a point.'

Balin was looking at him in a judgmental way, which he seemed to do more often than usual lately.

'Look, if we leave now, the chances are that orcs, trolls or whatever else is out there will attack us as soon as they see us.'

'They might. But they might attack us in our sleep if we stay here. And let's be honest, that would catch us by surprise and it would take too long before everyone is awake.'

'I did not ask for advice, Balin,' Thorin sneered.

'Then why are you still listening?'

He didn't reply.

'If only you'd put your pride aside for once, laddie,' Balin sighed. But, apparently, he gave up and simply walked away. Leaving Thorin speechless a little longer. Bilbo, who hadn't left his side ever since they had set out for Lake Town, wanted to break the silence, but he wasn't sure how. Thorin could be quite intimidating and even a bit scary when he got angry.

In the meantime Bifur, Fili and Kili were trying to get a fire going. Just when they got the small pile of wooden branches to burn, Thorin changed his mind.

'Leave it. We're going.' And with that he dragged the hobbit along. He trusted the rest of his company enough to believe that they would follow him. But Fili called after him, 'But we just got the fire going!'

'Now don't tell me you don't want to go,' Thorin sneered back at him, 'You were the one who insisted we travel on, so come along!'

And off they went. Bilbo was beginning to feel his feet after less than an hour. They had travelled far that day and he was getting tired. Thorin noticed what a hard time the hobbit was having and gently nudged his shoulder. 'We will be there, soon,' he promised him. Bilbo looked up at him and smiled. 'I do hope so,' he said, 'I have walked quite enough for one day.'

'A life time, more likely,' the dwarf joked. But Bilbo noticed that he was only trying to be funny and cheerful, for the smile on his face was a sad one.

'Are you alright?' he asked him quietly.

Thorin looked slightly disturbed. 'Of course,' he answered briskly, looking over his shoulder. Bilbo immediately realised that he wasn't checking whether the others were still following, he knew that Thorin knew they would all be there. No, the dwarf looked over his shoulder to remind himself that every spoken word could be heard by any one of them. So Bilbo, who desperately wanted to talk to Thorin to make sure he was okay, assured him that they couldn't hear him. The one closest to them was Oin and he didn't hear too well anyway. 'Please tell me,' Bilbo whispered, 'Are you really alright?'

Thorin smiled weakly, glad to know that someone actually cared. 'I have seen better days,' he answered in all honesty. When he saw the compassionate look in the hobbit's eyes, he quickly added, 'But then again, I have also seen worse.'

Bilbo nodded understandably. 'I'm sure you have.'

'I just…' he thought a while before continuing, 'I have had a lot on my mind lately and it hasn't done me any good. And to be completely honest with you, Halfling, I am concerned over what we will have to face once we reach the Lonely Mountain. The thought of reaching Lake Town tonight worries me, too. It is so close to my homeland…'

'But, Thorin, you must know that that is good news!'

'I do, Bilbo,' he smiled reassuringly, 'It's hard to explain.'

Bilbo didn't doubt that. But it did bother him that there were so many things that Thorin had seen that he had never even heard about. Thorin's face told anyone who knew him that he was sad and angry, and even though Bilbo knew parts of the story, he knew he would never completely understand what was going on in the mind of the prince. He furiously wished he did. Someday.

Because one thing he did understand; they had talked about Thorin's sorrows long enough. According to the dwarf, anyway. So Bilbo decided to remain quiet.

As they walked on fumbled with the golden ring in his pocket. Somehow it had become a habit.

After a while they finally saw the gates of Lake Town appear at the end of the road. 'There it is!' Bofur had called out, 'We're nearly there!'

And indeed, one by one, the dwarves spotted the town ahead of them. And as Bofur began to sing a cheerful melody, the rest soon joined in. Thorin and Bilbo simply looked at each other, grinned and quickened their pace. The sooner they'd get there, the better. They could practically smell the end of their journey.

But the joy and happiness of the dwarves was soon disturbed. It began with a cry coming from one of the dwarves. Thorin instantly turned around and saw Dwalin wave his arms. 'Goblins!' he yelled, 'The forest is filled with goblins! Watch out!' Then pointed at Bilbo. Before the Halfling knew what was going on he saw a black figure come running at him from the corner of this eye. He let out a short scream, before the creature launched itself at him and pinned him to the ground. 'BILBO!' the voice was unmistakably Thorin's. It was only seconds before he reached him. Bilbo couldn't see him, but could heard him draw his sword, then heard a thud and a muffled cry and the goblin that was still lying on top of him stopped moving.

Thorin grabbed the back of the creature's clothing and with a loud cry cast it away, down the road. 'Are you hurt?' he asked concerned.

The hobbit wasn't sure. Everything had happened very fast and he just felt so afraid and surprised, that he wasn't sure whether he felt any pain.

'Are you hurt?!' Thorin asked again, more urgent than before.

'No!' Bilbo replied quickly to reassure him, 'No, I'm fine!'

He briefly touched Bilbo's shoulder to let him know he was glad to hear that and before the hobbit could thank his friend, he had already ran off to help his companions fight the goblins.

Bilbo didn't dare interfere, besides he still felt dizzy from the fall and fright. He wanted to help, but wasn't sure how. He wasn't a good swordsman and he would probably just be in their way. He saw Kili shoot a few goblins that came running down out of the woods, and heard Fili call out to his brother, 'I've got your back!'

Thorin wielded Orcrist like it was all he had ever done and killed five of their attackers within a matter of seconds. But it soon became obvious that they would be outnumbered. The stream of goblins that kept coming seemed never ending and Bilbo feared his friends would not last much longer. Bofur was fighting his own battle with a growling goblin, but did not see there was another one creeping up on him. So Bilbo drew in a deep breath and with a loud cry hurled himself at the creature in order to save Bofur. He lashed out and struck its shoulder. It cried out in pain and held the wound trying to stop the bleeding. With its dagger pointed forward it slowly walked towards Bilbo to have it revenge. But before it could launch itself at him Bofur, who had killed his opponent, turned around and stabbed its back. 'Thank you,' he told Bilbo.

'Likewise,' the hobbit grinned nervously. Bofur smiled back at him and spurted off, slaying two more monsters on his way to Ori, who was struggling with his small sword. Bilbo scouted the surroundings, expecting to be attacked by more any second now, but didn't see anything. He thought the battle would soon be won. But before he knew it, he was pinned to the ground for a second time that day. Bilbo shrieked as the goblin landed on top of him and dug its nails into his skin. He could see that the goblin had lost his weapons, but that didn't stop him from showing his sharp teeth and licking his lip. And as the hobbit realised what was about to happen, things started to move particularly slow. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Thorin hit another, bigger, goblin in its stomach. When Thorin turned around Bilbo saw a few blood stains on his cheek and a large scratch next to his eye as if a dagger had cut him there. A small drop of sweat came rolling down his forehead when he made his way over to Bilbo. 'Thorin!' Bilbo cried, hoping he would reach him in time.

But he wasn't. Just before the dwarf reached his burglar, Bilbo felt the goblin's teeth sink into his shoulder. He cried out in pain.

With one swift move of his sword, Thorin beheaded the creature and rolled it over. He immediately dropped to his knees to inspect Bilbo's injuries.

'No,' the hobbit panted heavily, 'You have to help the others! I'm fine. Help them.'

'You are not fine,' Thorin replied, a serious look of concern on his face. 'The others will manage without me, I believe. You however, may not.'

'Honestly, Thorin, I am alright. See.' With all the strength he had left Bilbo got himself up and, although his legs were shaking, managed to stand up and take a few steps. 'See,' he said again, 'I am perfectly fine. Don't worry. It's just a scratch.'

But both Thorin and Bilbo knew that it was more than a scratch. Bilbo's clothes were covered with blood and the stain on his shoulder kept growing bigger. He was losing a lot of blood. 'Just go,' Bilbo said, his voice trembling in pain.

Thorin looked back and saw the others were still fighting. They wouldn't last much longer. So the dwarf prince looked Bilbo in the eye once more, before turning around a sprinting away, hoping to finish the battle soon.

Knowing Thorin couldn't see him, Bilbo clutched his shoulder and bit his lip in order to keep himself from crying out in pain again. It was almost unbearable and it didn't take long before the world started spinning.

So when Thorin looked over his shoulder to check in on the Halfling, he saw him hit the ground.

**Author's note****; Hello. Nice meeting you. If we haven't 'met' before, that is. So, I hope you liked this. If you did, please leave a review. I'd love to know what you think. If you didn't enjoy it – which would be fine, by the way – don't hesitate to tell me what an awful writer I am. That's totally okay.**

**Right. There is more coming up, obviously. Stuff that will involve (a lot?) more Bagginshield and less goblins. And I suppose that's it, for now. Goodbye. x **


	3. Chapter 3

**3. **

Bilbo found himself staring at a wooden ceiling and for a second he thought he was home. That it had all been a dream, that he was back in Bag End and that there had never been any dwarves to visit him. No wizards, no goblins, no orcs, no elves and no long journeys. But when he sat up and felt the soaring pain in his shoulder he realised it had not been a dream and that he was not at home. Which left him with one big question. If he wasn't dead, wasn't on the seemingly never ending road and he wasn't at home, then where was he?

'Welcome back,' a familiar, deep voice came from across the room, 'and welcome to Lake Town.'

Lake Town. So that's where he was. They had made it.

It took the hobbit some time to spot Thorin. He was sitting in a corner of the darkened room on Bilbo's left. Bilbo could just make out his silhouette.

'I told you,' the voice grumbled, 'I _knew_ you weren't fine and yet off I went to fight.'

'What?' Bilbo said in disbelief, '_I_ told you to help the others. Don't blame yourself for what happened to me, because of _my_ stupidity.'

'I don't blame myself.'

'Of course you don't,' Bilbo whispered so quietly the dwarf couldn't hear him.

He couldn't see Thorin's face properly, so when he spoke again, the voice seemed to come out of nowhere. 'How is your shoulder?' And quickly added, 'And do not tell me that it is fine.'

'It isn't,' Bilbo answered in all honesty, 'It hurts.'

'Very badly?' He sounded concerned.

Bilbo wanted to sound braver than he was and considered lying to Thorin and tell him it only hurt a little, but his guess was that his friend would see through the lie, so he answered truthfully. 'Yes. It hurts more than anything I have ever felt in my entire life.'

Thorin had to keep himself from saying that Bilbo, being a hobbit, couldn't possibly have experienced a lot of pain, let alone something worse than this. Instead the dwarf got up and walked towards the bed in which the hobbit was sitting up and sat down next to him. Glad that he could see Thorin's face a little better, Bilbo smiled at him. 'You look battered,' he stated. He did. Clearly Thorin hadn't looked after his own wounds yet or even washed his face. His blood appeared to be mixed with some goblin blood, which was a few shades darker than his own. The scratch next to his eye was surrounded by dried blood. But apart from the small wounds, he seemed fine. He smiled at the hobbit. 'Battered?' he repeated slowly, 'I look battered? Me? You should see yourself.'

Bilbo chuckled. 'In this state? I'd rather not. I am not the same hobbit I was only days back. If I would see myself in a mirror I am afraid I would give myself a fright.'

'Probably,' Thorin said, rolling his eyes at him mockingly. Once again he realised he would probably never completely understand hobbits. Not Bilbo, anyway. Sometimes he could be so brave and brilliant while sometimes he could be so concerned about the smallest things like luncheon or his handkerchief.

'Oh,' Thorin all of a sudden muttered as he remembered something, 'Bofur asked me to thank you again. He is very grateful and said he would be dead if it had not been for you.'

Bilbo shrugged, which hurt his shoulder again, so he flinched. 'It was nothing,' he said through clenched teeth as he relaxed his shoulder, 'Is he alright?'

'Perfectly fine.'

'And the others?' Bilbo couldn't believe he hadn't asked about them sooner.

'Everyone made it to Lake Town in one piece.'

The hobbit laughed out loud in relief. 'That is fantastic!' he said, still grinning. 'And we were welcome here?'

Thorin frowned for a second and briefly squinted his eyes but nodded after a while. 'More welcome than we could have hoped for,' he said. 'Although the Master of Lake Town is not pleased to see us.'

'Why not?' Bilbo asked confused.

'He is afraid the elven king will still be searching for his escaped prisoners. If Thranduil finds out the Master of the town is giving us shelter, he won't be pleased. So, simply said, this town has a leader that is afraid. Of an elf.' He added the last with a small smirk.

'How long have I been…' Bilbo hesitated, 'sleeping?'

'Unconscious, you mean,' Thorin corrected him, 'Not very long. A couple of hours, no more.'

A couple of hours? Bilbo thought. 'But- if it has been that long, then what happened?'

'It's nothing very strange. You lost a lot of blood, so you passed out. It happens to the best of us.'

'I doubt it,' Bilbo smiled weakly, thinking none of the dwarves would _ever_ have passed out. And even if one of them had, it would not have been Thorin Oakenshield himself. 'But that's not what I meant. I want to know what happened while I was out. To you and the others, I mean.'

Thorin thought carefully before he answered. 'Well, I told you, the others are fine. Apart from a few small wounds. Although, Gloin did trip over a corpse and fell face down. He lost a few teeth.' Thorin snorted at the memory of Gloin stumbling around.

Bilbo chuckled briefly, then sighed. 'What does it take to get you to talk about yourself?' he muttered, a tad annoyed. 'I already pointed out how battered you look, asked about what happened to you…' he stopped mid-sentence and looked his friend right in the eye. 'I actually care, you know.'

The dwarf looked very confused. 'What do you think happened to me? Nothing, since we arrived. After I carried you through the gates of Lake Town, we met the Master. And after what seemed like ages of bickering with that idiot, he told us we were allowed to stay at this local inn. So, I brought you in and that's all that has happened. I stayed with you until you woke up.'

Bilbo stared at him in disbelief. 'Y-you, what?' he stammered. Thorin raised an eyebrow. He didn't understand what the hobbit meant.

'You-' Bilbo sighed again, not sure what to point out and asked about first, 'You carried me to Lake Town?'

'Yes,' Thorin said as if it was nothing special, 'Couldn't just leave you there now, could we?'

Bilbo shrugged. He wasn't sure. 'Thank you,' he whispered, still baffled, 'And thanks for waiting by my side.'

The look on the dwarf's face was hard to explain. Although he didn't smile, his eyes gave away that he was more than pleased to hear the hobbit thank him and then he nodded at him. His eyes lingered on Bilbo a little longer, but he eventually looked away.

'The others are downstairs,' the dwarf said, quite obviously changing the subject, 'They'll be wondering how you are. I'm sure they'd love to see you but-'

'I can go,' Bilbo interrupted him, 'I'm fine, honestly.'

Thorin snorted when Bilbo used the 'I'm fine' phrase once again. 'If you are not feeling well enough-'

'No, but I _am_ feeling well enough. Honestly.'

'It won't be a lot of fun,' Thorin began, but then quickly changed his mind and ended the sentence differently from the way he had intended, 'A bit boring, actually.'

Bilbo chuckled. 'I hardly doubt anything could ever be boring with those merry dwarves,' he laughed.

Thorin stared at the floor for a few moments before looking up again. 'Trust me, if you want to stay here, you can. They will all understand.'

Now Bilbo frowned and felt a certain anger boil up inside him. 'Thorin, if you don't want me to be there that's alright, but if that is the case, then by all means just tell me!'

For a brief moment the dwarf looked hurt and he shook his head, staring at his feet once more. 'No,' he muttered quietly and looked up, 'Trust me when I say I want you to be there.' He reached for the hobbit's face and held it in his hand as he continued, 'Because I do. But tonight will be different from other nights. I am afraid there will be no songs or laughter to be heard.'

Bilbo's eyes widened and he grabbed Thorin's wrist. 'Why not?' he asked concerned.

Thorin looked at him again with a great sadness in his eyes. 'You will find out soon enough.'

The Halfling didn't dare ask more. All he could do was hope that whatever it was that worried Thorin would turn out to be okay in the end. He let go of his wrist and Thorin removed his hand from his face.

Bilbo grunted when he tried to get up.

'Take my arm,' Thorin said, reaching out for the hobbit. Bilbo shot him a frustrated look. 'There's no need I am-'

'You are fine,' Thorin completed the sentence for him, sighing deeply, 'I know. Just take my arm.'

He did. He felt Thorin's muscles tense under his weight as he pulled himself up. They slowly walked towards the door, Bilbo still clutching onto Thorin tightly, not sure whether his legs wouldn't give in if he let go. He did not quite understand how a wound in his shoulder could cause him to be so shaky. 'This is _tedious_,' he sighed as he put his hand on the doorknob, ready to open it. Thorin stopped him, though. 'Wait,' he whispered to the hobbit. 'Put your arm around my neck.'

'What?'

'It will be easier to get downstairs if my shoulders carry the biggest part of your weight.' Bilbo rolled his eyes, but did as he was told. He put his left arm, the one that wasn't injured, around Thorin's neck.

'Come on,' Thorin grumbled as he pushed the door open and turned left, where there was a wooden staircase leading down. The hobbit wasn't as heavy as Thorin thought he would be and it turned out to be a fairly easy trip downstairs.

They found themselves in a small hallway with on their left a door leading to whatever was outside and on their right a door to what Bilbo guessed had to be the inn's

bar. 'Ready?' Thorin asked with a small nod.

'No, wait,' Bilbo said, frowning slightly, 'Are they… mocking me?'

Thorin raised an eyebrow, 'How do you mean?'

'Well, are they mocking me?' he repeated, 'the other dwarves? Are they laughing at how I fell down and passed out? Surely it must have looked amusing.'

'Firstly, I don't think anyone saw. And secondly, I hardly doubt they find it amusing; their Burglar could have been dead!'

Bilbo shrugged, he genuinely did not understand why Thorin and the others were so convinced that he was of any importance. So, he asked. 'I have said to you before,' he began, 'that I believe I am nobody important. You told me I was wrong. Why?'

'Because that is what I believe,' Thorin replied.

'Why?' Bilbo asked again.

The other didn't speak right away, but thought for a while, before slowly saying, 'You've got a very important task to fulfill as our Burglar.'

Bilbo looked down. 'Oh. Yes, I see. Of course,' he muttered. He pulled his arm, that had still been around the dwarf's broad shoulders, back so he could scratch his nose and coughed twice.

'Right. Okay. Let's go then.' But for a second time that night, Thorin stopped him from opening a door. And just like last time he ordered him 'wait!'. Thorin waited for Bilbo to look him in the eye before he whispered in his lowest voice, 'I also think that you are more than just a Burglar. I cannot explain why I think so, but to me you are important, Bilbo. So important.' Just like he had done earlier that night, he reached out for the hobbit's face and held it, in both his hands this time. 'I have bad news and I dread telling the others very much, but it is my task to do so anyway.'  
Bilbo had no words, so he just stared into the dwarf's blue eyes full of sorrow and sadness. 'Whatever this news is,' he muttered eventually, 'don't forget we have nearly come to journey's end.'

Thorin smiled weakly and bit his lip. 'I am an unhappy man, Bilbo. I do not even dare to think of home.'

'You don't have to,' Bilbo smiled at him, 'As long as you know that a one cannot know happiness without knowing _unhappiness._ There will always be a light in the darkness. Think of that.'

Thorin's eyes widened for a brief moment and the vague smile on his face became a sincere and bigger one. 'See,' he muttered, 'This, right here, is why you are important to me. Thank you.'

And before Bilbo could answer him, or even smile, he felt the dwarf's warm lips briefly brush his own. Thorin ran a hand through the hobbit's curls and carefully pulled him a little closer. Bilbo put his arms around Thorin's waist and felt his chin being tilted upwards a bit.

The kiss was a short one and both wanted it to last so much longer than it dod, but their time was of greater essence, so after pressing another small kiss against Bilbo's forehead, Thorin put his hand on the door in front of them, reading to push it open. 'Ready?'

Bilbo only nodded as he was quite speechless after their kiss.

'Let's go then.' So Thorin opened the door and walked into a big room which seemed to be small since it was filled with dancing, singing but mainly drinking dwarves.

'Blimey, it's Bilbo!' Fili cried when he saw Thorin and the Halfling enter, 'It's the hobbit!'

'It's the hobbit!' Kili repeated, 'He's alive!'

Screams of joy echoed through the inn as one by one the dwarves saw their friend was alright. Ori came up to him and said, 'Good to have you back.' Then proceeded to slam the hobbit on the shoulder, an action which was followed by a small grunt from Bilbo. Ori looked absolutely hopeless after that, 'Oh, no. Oh no I am sorry! I am so sorry!'

But Bilbo gestured that it was quite alright. 'It's fine,' he said, 'I'm fine.'

Upon hearing those words again, Thorin shot him an angry look, which then turned into a smile when Bilbo stuck out his tongue.

It wasn't much later when Thorin asked for all the dwarves to put their drinks down and sit at one of the large tables in the middle of the room. He also asked innkeeper to leave them alone for a while. The man nodded politely and left right away, closing the door behind him.

Bilbo sat down next to Thorin, staring at him intently, afraid of the bad news he was about to tell everyone.

'What are the plans for the days ahead?' Dwalin asked from across the table. 'Are we going home?'

'Of course we are going home!' Bofur laughed, but when he saw Thorin's serious expression the smile faded from his face. 'We are, right?'

'Uncle?' Kili asked, starting to get uncomfortable by all the frowning faces surrounding him.

'Well?' Balin asked curiously, 'What is it?'

The dwarves were getting restless when Thorin didn't speak. They could all sense that whatever it was their leader was going to tell them, wasn't good news.

Thorin wasn't sure where to start. He looked to his right, where his gaze crossed Bilbo's. The hobbit nodded at him and mouthed a reassuring, 'Go on.'

Thorin folded his hands in front of his face and rested his chin on them. He focused on the wooden surface of the table and drew in a deep breath before he spoke.

**Hello. Again.  
How have you been?**

**Hope you enjoyed chapter 3. If you did; please leave a review. I had a great time reading the ones you left for me last time. I really did! So, to all those Dear Reviewers; thank you very much. It means a lot to me.**

**I am already working on chapter 4 and hope it will be up soon. Although I should probably mention that I've got a busy week ahead so it might be a while. **

**Love, Luna. **


	4. Chapter 4

**4.**

'We are not the only ones in Middle-Earth who know of the treasure that lies within the mountain. We are not the only ones who believe the time has finally come and that the desolation of Smaug is upon us. Others are coming. And I fear they are looking for our gold… and homeland.'

Some of the dwarves gasped or let out surprised cries. 'What does that mean?' Fili and Kili asked simultaneously and equally confused.

'It means,' their uncle continued his story, 'that we have to get to Erebor as fast as we can and hope for the best. But a battle seems inevitable, already.'

'Who will be our enemy?' Nori asked their leader. 'Will they outnumber us?'

Thorin knew he didn't really have to answer Nori's final question. 'There is thirteen of us, and an injured hobbit,' he said, putting a hand on Bilbo's leg beside him, 'Of course we will be outnumbered.'

Bilbo put his hand on Thorin's and gave a gentle squeeze.

'I think we are to fear the elves,' the dwarf prince went on, 'or even the people of the Lake here.'

'That can't be right,' Bofur stammered, 'They have been so kind to us…'

Thorin didn't reply but the expression on his face remained unchanged and Bofur knew that, for some reason, he was probably mistaken. 'So what do we do?' he asked.

'Get to the Lonely Mountain, send our Burglar in,' he smiled weakly at the hobbit as he said this, 'and hope others will come and fight on our side once we have retrieved our gold.'

Bilbo sighed and whispered, 'If only Gandalf were with us now…' He hadn't thought of the wizard for a while now. He had left them just before they had entered Mirkwood and they hadn't heard of him since.

'Gandalf?' Balin asked, 'Could he help?'

'Of course!' Kili replied, 'He is a wizard, after all. Of course he could help!'

'Obviously,' Thorin grumbled, 'But he is not with us now, is he? So much for help from our wizard.'

'He will come,' Bilbo said, convinced that Gandalf would not let them rot, 'He will come and he will end this for us.'

'Surely one wizard can't defeat entire armies on his own,' Gloin said slowly.

'What does he say?' his brother called from across the table.

'I said that I don't believe one wizard can defeat entire armies!'

'Who said that!?'

'I DID!' Gloin bellowed.

'Well, what did you say that for?' Oin replied grumpily.

'Because it's true, isn't it?'

'Of course it isn't true,' Fili interfered, 'Gandalf is a powerful wizard! He will blow them apart with a gesture of his arm!'

'Don't be stupid,' Dwalin joined in. 'He will need both his arms! At least.'

'I'm sure that is what Fili meant,' Dori said, sipping his beer, 'Am I wrong?'

'Yes, you are wrong!' Fili replied, 'I think he needs only one arm. Come on, who's with me!?'

A few dwarves roared a loud, 'Aye!', while others shook their heads and contradicted the younger dwarf.

Thorin in the meanwhile had stopped listening to their bickering. He tapped Kili, who was sitting on his left, on the shoulder and leaned over to whisper in his ear. 'Send word to Dain.'

'What,' Kili muttered, his eyes opened wide, 'You think he will come?'

'Apart from Gandalf, Dain is our only hope.'

So Kili got up and gestured for his brother to come with him. Fili shrugged. 'What?' he mouthed confused, 'Where are you going?'

The younger brother beckoned him to come over to where he stood.

'Why?' Fili mouthed back at him, frowning slightly. He was still following the discussion of the other dwarves, which had gone from bad to worse. 'Even if we could get a hobbit army together, what use will they be?!' Gloin shouted at the others.

'Better than no one to help us, though. Isn't it?' Nori replied angrily.

'Of course, but who are we kidding, laddies?' Balin said wisely, 'They are hobbits.'

'What about him then?!' Ori said, pointing at Bilbo, who appeared to be in deep conversation with Thorin.

Fili wanted to reply to Ori, but his brother was still trying to distract him from it. Eventually Fili was forced to choose for Kili, in the end, who insisted on him coming along. So Fili got up, under loud protest of the others, and followed his brother out of the room.

'Where are they going?' Bombur asked, not keeping up with everything going on. He was getting tired and was resting his head on the table when he saw the two younger dwarves leave.

As one the dwarves looked away from Balin, who was trying to explain to them why they couldn't start a hobbit army, and watched Fili and Kili go. At once they turned to Thorin.

'Where did you send them?' Dwalin asked, looking as skeptical as ever.

Thorin didn't look at him when he replied. 'Maybe Dain will come.'

The name alone started a new argument and Thorin let out a deep sigh. (Although no one heard, because they were being so loud.)

'We get some sleep, then head for home,' he whispered to Bilbo, so that only he could hear. 'Go upstairs, rest for a bit. I will wake you up in a few hours and make sure this pathetic lot is ready.'

Bilbo was about to contradict him when he realised how tired he was. So he nodded and wished Thorin a good night. The dwarf snorted sarcastically. 'I fear I won't be getting much sleep, little Burglar,' he said.

The hobbit had forgotten about his shoulder, but it all came back to him as he got up from his chair. 'Do you need help?' Thorin asked.

'I'm-' he stopped himself from finishing the sentence, 'I'll manage, thank you.'

And with those words, he staggered off.

To his surprise, he did get upstairs rather quickly. His legs didn't shake as much as before and he felt less dizzy. But even though getting up the stairs was easy enough now, when he wanted to go to sleep things got more difficult. He tried to lie down on his bed, but no matter what position he tried, his shoulder hurt like mad. So, eventually, he decided to sit up instead.

He leaned against the back of his bed, his chin resting on his chest. He knew it would cause his neck to ache in the morning, but at least that would be bearable.

He was just beginning to doze off when the door opened. 'Are you asleep yet?' he heard Thorin ask.

'Yes,' Bilbo muttered, his eyes still closed.

'No, you're not.'

'I am!' Bilbo replied, a little louder now.

'Liar,' came the dwarf's voice, 'Why are you sitting up?'

'Can't lie down,' Bilbo yawned and then added, 'Why are you in my doorway?'

The reply didn't come immediately. 'I'm not in your doorway.'

His voice sounded closer than it had before and Bilbo knew that Thorin had just stepped into his room, away from the entrance. He sighed. 'Please don't tell me we have to leave _now_,' he mumbled, biting his lower lip.

'Of course not,' Thorin replied, stepping closer to his bed.

'Then why are you here?'

'I am just making sure you are alright,' the dwarf said, 'Move over.'

The hobbit would have told Thorin to shut up and go away, if he had not been too tired. Instead he kept his eyes shut and shifted to his right. He felt Thorin sit down next to him. Somehow the hobbit expected him to check his shoulder, or at least ask how he was feeling, but to his surprise, he didn't. In fact, he didn't say or do anything. He just sat there, motionless. So, Bilbo eventually opened his eyes and looked to his left. 'What is going to happen now?' he asked, 'And answer me truthfully. Because if we are likely to…' he hesitated, 'to die. Then I would like to know.'

'I do not know whether we will die or not. Death is never a certainty,' Thorin spoke quietly, 'But I do know that we have to get to the mountain. And that is where you come in. You need to find Smaug and you have to find out how we can kill him.'

'What?' Bilbo stammered confused, 'That is my task? I thought I was a Burglar! I thought I had to steal something. Treasure and gold or…-' he stopped, 'How do you slay a dragon?'

'That is exactly what we want to know. You have to find out, Bilbo.'

The hobbit brought his hands to his face and grunted as he held the bridge of his nose. 'I can't do that,' Bilbo told him, 'I wouldn't know where to begin! I know nothing of dragons!'

'No one does. That's the problem!'

Bilbo closed his eyes again and turned his head away from Thorin. 'I will do what I can.'

'I know you will.'

If he had dared, the hobbit would have cursed all bad things in the world at that moment. Dragons, battles, long journeys, aching shoulders... Because he knew for certain that these things would keep him from sleeping that night.

Without thinking he rested his head on Thorin's shoulder. 'I wish I was back home,' he whispered.

'Me too,' Thorin agreed, a faint smile on his face as he felt Bilbo's hair brush against his cheek.

They sat in silence for a long while. Both wondering whether the other had fallen asleep, and both very much awake. Thorin ran a hand through Bilbo's hair, like he had done earlier that evening and occasionally pressed his lips against his head. Bilbo, his eyes still closed, listened to the other's steady breathing and eventually fell asleep.

He dreamed of old caverns set alight by blazing fires and a golden dragon burning down the Shire. Burning down his home… He knew for certain that there was no escape. In the distance he saw Fili and Kili wave at him and call for him to join them. But he could not move. Next to them sat Thorin, on his knees, his face buried in his hands. Balin appeared behind him and rested his hands on his shoulder. Bilbo could tell he told him that 'everything would be alright, laddie.' Then the other dwarves turned up behind them and pointed at the hobbit, who still couldn't move his feet. 'It's Bilbo,' they laughed, 'It's the hobbit! He's alive!' And when Thorin looked up and his eyes met the hobbit's a small smile appeared on his face and Bilbo smiled back. But his grin faded when a large fire ball hit the ground in front of Thorin's feet. Bilbo reached out for him and called his name, but there was nothing to be done. When the fire had died out and the smoke had cleared, there were no dwarves to be seen.

In fact, there was no one to be seen in the entire Shire, anymore. Everything had gone to dust.

If Thorin's hand would not have covered Bilbo's mouth to muffle his cry, Bilbo would have woken up the entire inn. 'Hey. Hey! It's okay! Whatever that dream was about, it's okay. You're fine.' Thorin whispered in his deep voice. He removed his hand from Bilbo's lips so the hobbit could speak.

'Nightmare,' he mumbled, barely awake but quite aware of what had happened.

'I know,' Thorin nodded, 'But you're here. You're okay, now.' He kept repeating the last words. To which Bilbo angrily replied, 'Yeah, I know!' and then added, 'It's not me I was so worried about.'

'Oh,' Thorin said, a hint of surprise in his voice.

Bilbo shrugged – which immediately reminded him of his injury again- and sat up a bit straighter, though still leaning against Thorin. He nearly fell from the bed when Thorin got up unexpectedly and started pacing the room. The hobbit could only just grab hold of the back of the bed or else he would have tumbled off. 'What are you doing?' he asked, following Thorin's every move with narrowed eyes. Was there a point in walking up and down the room? It made him nervous.

The dwarf stopped in the middle of the room and slowly turned to face Bilbo. 'Sorry,' he said.

'Oh no, it's no problem,' Bilbo shrugged and, not sure what else to say, added a dry, 'Pace away.'

Thorin took a few steps towards the bed again. 'Bilbo,' he sighed, 'you are, by far, the strangest hobbit I have ever met.'

'Then I am quite certain you have never met a lot of hobbits,' Bilbo joked wittedly.

The dwarf laughed loudly. 'You are right, of course. Then let me put it this way,' he said as he leaned a little closer, 'You are, by far, the most remarkable _person_ I have ever met.'

'You said 'strangest' before,' Bilbo corrected him.

'Did I? My mistake.'

He stroked Bilbo's cheek with the back of his hand before leaning in completely and kissing his lips. Bilbo, who had not seen it coming, pulled back for a bit, then to look into Thorin's sad eyes for a moment, before closing his own again and brushing their lips back together.

Thorin's hand slowly moved down the hobbit's waist and pulled him closer. 'Careful,' Bilbo murmured, thinking of his shoulder. Thorin just chuckled quietly. Bilbo felt his warm breath blow past his jaw and leaned in even more, nearly knocking Thorin from the bed. 'Careful,' the low voice breathed against his lips. Bilbo grinned and couldn't help shivering slightly in delight.

Thorin moved his lips down the hobbit's jawline and ended up kissing his neck, causing Bilbo to gasp slightly while he ran a hand through the dwarf's hair.

The hobbit felt his cheeks turn slightly red when Thorin eventually pulled away, but smiled when he saw that the dwarf's cheeks had gone a bit pink as well. He reached for his face and traced the scratch next to his eye. Thorin did not even flinch, but just stared at the hobbit's curious face.

'I never asked,' he asked intrigued, 'what happened?'

'An orc lashed out with a knife,' he said, not taking his eyes of the hobbit, 'Missed me.'

'Clearly he didn't,' Bilbo laughed, pointing at the scar.

'He missed my eye,' Thorin corrected himself dryly, 'At least that's something.'

It wasn't that much later when the two of them found themselves downstairs again. Thorin had woken the other dwarves – who had been sleeping all over the inn – up and assembled them near the front door. Most of them were still half asleep. Especially Bombur, who literally did not seem to know where he was and kept bumping into his brother Bofur, who eventually lost his patience and stepped on his foot. 'Stand still or sit down,' he grumbled, 'Either way just-' He stopped to roll his eyes, when the fat dwarf sat down in the middle of the hallway. 'Are you kidding?' he said, looking at Bilbo. 'He is unbelievable.'

Bilbo chuckled heartily. His moment with Thorin had clearly brightened his spirit. 'You might want to keep him awake,' he laughed, pointing at Bombur who slumped against the wall, snoring loudly.

'Oh, you have got to be kidding me.'

Dwalin came stumbling down the stairs and walked over to Thorin, in the process kicking Bombur in the side. 'Get up.'

'Everyone's here,' he then told Thorin and the hobbit standing next to him, 'I think we are all set.'

So Thorin opened the door and the first rays of sunlight shone upon their faces. 'Beautiful day,' Balin commented, pushing past Bilbo and Thorin and stepping outside. The others soon followed.

It was so early in the morning that only people on the streets were beggars and the trade men who were installing their goods on the market square. Bilbo felt them staring at him and the rest of the company. Some waved at them, with friendly smiles on their faces. Others simply ignored them.

The people of the Lake were a curious group, Bilbo decided. Curious people, in a curious and quiet town. With all the trouble lying ahead of them, the silence only seemed fitting…

It was a calm, before the storm.

**Hello (again).**

**I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you like, please leave a review. I have read so many lovely ones in the past few days and they really cheer me up. **

**Oh, I should probably mention, I owe someone an apology. Dear Mira Nira, I lied to you. Smaug did not eat the Arkenstone, as you may have noticed by now. And I can tell you another secret, he doesn't choke on it, and Thorin and Co don't actually get to skin him. (Would've made a wonderful story, though. Maybe some other time.) Anyway. Sorry. **

**You'll all be hearing from me soon!**

**Love, Luna**


	5. Chapter 5

**5.**

The lands behind Lake Town were deserted and dry. There were no roads, only a couple of hills and every one could tell it did not known many visitors. In fact, it seemed as it Thorin and company were the first to cross the lands in quite some time.

In the distance they could already see the Lonely Mountain, mist and shadow surrounding it.

Ahead of everyone were Thorin, his nephews and Balin. The two older dwarves were discussing the distance they still had to walk and how much time it would take them to reach the Mountain.

'It will take us two full days, if you ask me,' Balin said, so Thorin nodded. Balin was usually right when it came to these things. 'No more, no less?' he asked, to make sure.

Balin confirmed it by nodding.

As far as the eye could see there were plains and no more than those. 'Where is Erebor?' Bilbo asked Bofur, who was walking right next to him. 'I had hoped we would be able to catch glimpses of it by now.'

Bofur chuckled. 'Oh you won't be catching any glimpses of Erebor today, Bilbo,' he laughed, 'Haven't you been paying attention?'

'You mean it has been destroyed? Like Dale?'

'I hope not,' Bofur grinned.

'Then what do you mean?' Bilbo asked, now actually confused, 'I have been paying attention but I haven't heard anything that could give me a clue. Have I?'

'Thorin is to be the King under the Mountain…' Bofur hinted, knowing the penny would soon drop for Bilbo.

'I know,' the hobbit sighed, 'But what does that- wait. Under? _Under. _The Mountain! The city lies within the Mountain!'

Bofur winked. 'Quite right. And mine you, it's not a city, it's an entire Kingdom!'

'Don't be so sure of yourself, Bofur,' Balin called over his shoulder and waited for them to catch up with him, 'We don't know what is left of it…'

Bofur shrugged, 'It will be intact. Don't you worry.' He winked at Bilbo and caught up with Fili and Kili. Judging by the look on the brothers' faces he made a hilarious joke.

Balin sped up his pace and Bilbo trotted along, more questions burning. 'And Dale?' he asked the dwarf.

'What of it?'

'What happened to it, after Smaug attacked it?'

'You're looking at it,' Balin replied, gesturing at the dry grassland surrounding them. 'There are the ruins of what once was the proud City of Dale…'

'Ruins?' Bilbo repeated, 'But I don't see any ruins.'

'Exactly,' Balin muttered. Bilbo stared at his bare feet, covered in mud and scratches, for a while. So that was what was left of Dale. Nothing. There were not even traces of the village that had been destroyed by Smaug. 'I'm sorry,' the hobbit stammered.

'What for?' Balin smiled, 'We did not live in Dale. It does not grief us that is was destroyed.' But Bilbo guessed that is did, although he didn't tell the other. He suspected that the dwarves had at least known some of the villagers and if that was not the case, he knew for certain that they had seen it happen from a distance. And that the sight must have been a horrible one. And he was sure that not even the stubborn dwarves would have taken that lightly.

The hobbit spoke to Thorin later that day, after they had crossed what seemed like a fourth of the plain. Just like the rest of the company, Thorin had been unusually quiet. Even for his standards. Bilbo could guess why. He was scared – they all were - and had every right to be…

'Maybe we should rest,' Bilbo suggested. Thorin looked at him sideways. 'I'm not resting now. We've come this far already,' he said briskly, not slowing his pace in the slightest.

'We won't come much further if we continue at this pace. We are starting to feel our feet and we need to eat!' Bilbo contradicted him, knowing the rest of the company would agree with him. Besides, he wanted to settle a matter before they went on.

Thorin stopped abruptly and turned to the hobbit. Bilbo took a step back. He saw the angers in the dwarf's eyes… Bilbo could guess what was coming next. Thorin would shout at him and tell him how he had no right to give him advice. But, as he looked into the hobbit's eyes, Thorin felt his angers fade away and the hobbit saw him relax himself. 'Alright,' he sighed, turning to the rest of the group, 'We rest here!'

Within seconds the dwarves settled on the cold, hard ground and got out their food. Bilbo had no idea how they came by it, but suspected they had bought – or maybe stolen - most of it in Lake Town. Either way he was glad when Bofur threw him a large piece of bread, for he had gotten hungry without really noticing.

He was sitting next to Thorin – leaning against him, actually – and continued their conversation.

'Why are you in such a hurry?' he asked him.

'Because time is gold,' he said earnestly, as he put his arm around the hobbit's waist, 'And because I want to get to Erebor before war breaks out.'

Bilbo knew the answer to his next question, but asked it anyway, his voice a tad too loud. 'Are you afraid?'

The twelve others heard, looked up as one and turned to Thorin. The leader cursed the hobbit under his breath and pulled his arm back. He gave him no choice but to lie. What kind of leader would show fear to his men, after all? He felt Bilbo's elbow nudge his ribcage and heard him whisper, 'Tell them the truth.'

'Go on, laddie,' Balin said, 'Are you afraid?' So Thorin looked at him, then turned his gaze to Fili and Kili who, as always, looked eager to hear their uncle speak. He could tell they expected him to say he was not afraid, ready to face any dangers.

Bilbo nudged him again. _Tell them the truth._

Why? Thorin thought to himself. What would be the point? Why was the hobbit so keen on him telling how afraid he was? Because he was, of course and he knew that Bilbo could tell. But the others didn't need to know, did they? They would be disappointed and be frightened even more than they already were because he showed his weakness. No. Whatever the burglar was up to, he was no going to be part of it.

'Of course I'm not afraid.'

And he said no more than that. The others didn't ask for more, either.

When they were all back on their feet and continued their journey, Bilbo took his chance to talk to Thorin without anyone noticing.

'Why did you lie?'

'Why did you want me to tell the truth?'

'Because that's the decent thing to do,' Bilbo scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Thorin shrugged. 'Why did you want me to admit that I am afraid?'

'Why not?'

'Because!' Thorin bellowed, 'Because if I do, they will no longer follow me.'

'I think you're wrong,' Bilbo said, biting his lip nervously, 'I think they will follow you no matter what. And I also think that if you show them you fear whatever it is that is waiting for us in that Mountain and whatever is coming for us from the rest of Middle-Earth, they will know that you're just like them.'

'But I'm not now, am I?' Thorin sneered.

Bilbo stared at him in disbelief. He did not believe that after all they had been through, Thorin still considered himself better than the others. So Bilbo snorted and shook his head.

They walked in silence for a long while. The company had gone entirely quiet after a very long morning and what seemed to be an even longer afternoon. But eventually the moon came out, and the dwarves seemed to come back to life. Bilbo heard their voices mutter behind him and didn't need to listen to know what they were talking about. Because the hobbit, too, wondered when they would stop. Whether Thorin would keep on walking, like he had done this afternoon, if no one stopped him. Bilbo was not sure whether he should be the one to tell him. Again. After all, Thorin seemed angry with him, and he certainly was with Thorin.

But he did not need to stop the dwarf. Even before the sky had gone completely dark, the stars were not even out yet, he told the others to stop and prepare for the night.

There was no place to hide, no trees to slump against and the ground was cold as ice. It wouldn't be the best place to spend the night, but it had to make do. Thorin ordered everyone to go asleep as soon as possible and promised he would take first watch. But that did it for Bilbo.

'No way,' he told their leader, 'I don't think you have slept in days! No, you need to sleep. I'll take the watch!'

Some of the dwarves laughed. 'I do not think that would be wise, Mr Baggins,' Nori chuckled, 'Don't worry. We'll do it. Won't we Dori? Ori?'

The other two nodded simultaneously.

And so it was, that Thorin curled up on the floor and got the chance to finally close his tired eyes for a while. But before he could actually fall asleep, Bilbo sat down next to him.

'Tired?' he grinned, knowing Thorin would be bothered. They had not really talked since their argument that afternoon, and Bilbo had quietly decided to leave it what it was and move on. This was not a time to be angry with anyone.

Thorin groaned. His way of telling the hobbit to 'keep his quiet or else.'

'Yes, yes, me too,' Bilbo teased, pretending to have a complete conversation with the dwarf.

'Will you please-' Thorin sighed, but he didn't finish his sentence, knowing there would probably be no point. Bilbo would continue anyway.

'Did you just say please?' the hobbit chuckled, 'How awfully polite.'

'Go. To. Sleep.'

'Fine.' But Bilbo grinned, knowing he had broken the barrier that had been between them since that afternoon. So, when the hobbit lay down it only took a moment before he felt Thorin's arm curl around him and whisper a soft 'come here' in his ear.

He just smiled as he moved a little closer, facing the dwarf. Unlike the hobbit, Thorin was warm so when he touched Bilbo, they bothered shivered a little. 'You never said you were cold,' Thorin whispered as he felt the hobbit's face.

Bilbo shrugged. 'I'm not really the type that complains a lot.'

Thorin snorted sarcastically and pecked him on the mouth. He was about to turn away and go to sleep, when Bilbo pulled his face closer. Thorin gasped quietly when the cold skin of Bilbo's hands touched his neck, but didn't protest. Bilbo continued their kiss, gently stroking Thorin's cheek and neck. His other hand rested on the dwarf's chest and he loved how it moved up and down when Thorin smiled or chuckled quietly. Thorin eventually moved beside Bilbo once more and held him in his – by now- familiar way, and after a few small kisses, they fell asleep, pressed tightly to the other.

Thorin woke the hobbit up the next morning by gently kissing his lips. They were the first ones to be awake, apart from Ori, who was sat a few feet away, his slingshot ready in case anyone would attack. He had been sitting there for hours now and had not seen a soul, so he kept dozing off because the watch was so dull.

Thorin pressed his finger against Bilbo's lips and motioned for him to be quiet.

'The others are still asleep,' he whispered. Bilbo had trouble making out what he said, for his voice was so quiet, he could barely hear it. 'I want to talk to you,' he continued, 'before we leave. Is that alright?'

Bilbo frowned. Why wouldn't it be? So he nodded.

Thorin, who had still been leaning across the hobbit, sat up and Bilbo followed his example. 'Listen,' the dwarf said, drawing in a deep breath. He had trouble finding the words and closed his eyes briefly as he frowned. 'I need you to know that whatever happens today…' he hesitated and then shook his head at himself. 'I just want to say thank you, really. If it had not been for our Burglar, we would not have come far.'

The hobbit felt wide awake immediately, realising what Thorin was doing. This was his way of saying goodbye. Why now? Why so soon? It was not as if they would part right now, after all.

As if the dwarf prince could read his thoughts, he spoke, 'We will reach Erebor before dark. When we enter the mountain you must not hesitate and turn _right_, to where Smaug guards the dwarven treasures he calls his own. The others and I will head four our kingdom, carved out of rock and stone, to the left of the mountain's entrance.

'You can't tell the others. They might come with you and ruin your mission. _You_ could confuse the fire drake, but if any dwarf joins you, Smaug will see through our plan. You must go alone, and you must make sure none of the others see you.'

Bilbo briefly slipped his hand into his pocket and felt the cold, golden ring against his skin. He didn't think it would be much of a challenge to pass the dwarves unseen. 'Speaking as the burglar I am,' he laughed, 'I think I will manage.'

'I am sure.'

A bit hesitantly Thorin took Bilbo's hand in his and held it for a whole. Bilbo squeezed his softly and smiled at him reassuringly. 'We will be just fine,' he muttered.

'Fine?' Thorin scoffed, 'I am beginning to believe you only use the word 'fine' when you are not.'

Bilbo hesitated for a moment, wondering whether Thorin right. Perhaps he was. After all, he didn't really think they were going to be fine any time soon. Not with a dragon awaiting them or a battle on hands, anyway.

He didn't get the chance to tell Thorin, though. Because he heard the first dwarves get up and start to pack their belongings. It wasn't long before Gloin came up to them and asked whether anyone had seen his axe . 'Honestly I thought I left it right here where you are sitting right now.'

And with that being the first problem of the day, a very busy morning had begun.

With thirteen dwarves rushing about, swapping weapons, eating bread, throwing apples at each other and singing songs while doing so, Bilbo had a hard time keeping up.

The same went for the last part of their journey ahead. The dwarves could clearly tell it would come to an end soon and with every step they took towards the Lonely Mountain, they knew they were getting closer to their home land and that kept their spirits up. All of them sang the merriest songs and even though he dreaded the night ahead, Bilbo enjoyed them very much. And even though it wasn't his home they were headed for Bilbo could guess how the dwarves felt. Having been away from home for such a long time himself now, he could imagine how delighted the dwarves were.

Just like the previous day, they did not meet any enemies on their way. They did not meet anyone, in fact. Before they knew it, they had reached the Mountain…

It took Thorin some time to find out where they could enter, using the key Gandalf had given to him. Once he had found the right spot, there was nothing but to wait for the moon to come out and shine its light upon the Mountain.

Thorin told his company to sit down, but most them remained standing. As Bofur explained to Bilbo; they felt too restless to sit still.

While they waited, Bilbo tried to speak to Thorin about the adventure he was about to go on, but the dwarf kept changing the subject, not wanting any of the others to hear. Eventually, Bilbo have up, though not before asking his final question.

'Will I see you again?' he whispered, his voice trembling a bit.

Thorin smiled and Bilbo realised that was the first smile he had seen on his face that day. Where the others had laughed and sang, Thorin had been quiet and had stared blankly ahead. 'You will,' he answered.

'But Smaug could kill me in an instant! Chances are that I will not return!' the hobbit blurted out.

Thorin's smile faded again 'Do not speak to me of death as if it would be an end,' he said slowly, 'If we die tonight, we will go on another, final journey and at the end of that journey will will _always_, no matter what, see each other again.'

'Is that a promise?' Bilbo, who had never heard of anything that followed death before, wanted to know.

'It is. It's just another adventure to go. One more and then everything will be peaceful forever.'

'So if I would-' the hobbit couldn't finish his sentence without clearing his throat first and when he spoke again he felt himself choke up again. 'If I would lose you tonight…'

'Then someday, we will meet again,' Thorin finished the sentence for him.

For a moment it was as if they were alone and the strong dwarf embraced the shivering hobbit. Bilbo buried his face in Thorin's neck and threw his arms around his shoulders as well.

'That doesn't sound so bad then,' he whispered in his ear.

'No,' Thorin breathed, 'No, it doesn't.'

The moon came out eventually and the dwarves all looked up to the sky and waited for it to reach the right height. Nothing seemed to happen at first, but the longer they stared at the part of the Mountain that bathed in the moonlight, the more they saw. First, words in the ancient dwarf language appeared – Bilbo couldn't understand them in the slightest. Then, a large, blue symbol appeared. The same could be found on the belts of Thorin, Fili and Kili, so Bilbo guessed it was the crest of Durin. And then, last but not least, the wall started to croak and a large crack split a part of the wall in two. Not much later, the hobbit could see that the crack had formed a door in the mountain slope. Then finally a blue lock appeared in the stone.

Thorin slowly got out his key and, his hands shaking in anticipation, shoved it into the lock. It lit up immediately and then clicked. With one swift movement Thorin pushed the door open and entered the Mountain.

The fourteen of them barely fit into the space that served as a back entrance to Erebor. Just as Thorin had told the hobbit, there were to big tunnels leading further into the Mountain. One to the left, which led upwards and one to the right, which led downstairs.

The dwarves were talking excitedly to each other and Bilbo knew that if he wanted to go to the right unseen, this was the moment to disappear. He scanned the crowded room and his eyes eventually found Thorin's. He nodded at him and mouthed something Bilbo couldn't quite make out, but he knew it was a goodbye. So he smiled at him one last time, before slipping on the ring.

He glanced over his shoulder to see Thorin lead the others to the left, before turning right himself.

**Hello again.**

**I know that it's been a while, but I had a very busy week this week so I didn't have much time to write. I'm sorry. **

**Now for the even worse news; I'll be in Rome next week, so no writing, I'm afraid. I'll work on the fic when I'm there though, so when I come back this Sunday, it should be up relatively soon.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter and, as always, please let me know what you think. Honestly, your reviews are the best and they always make my day! **

**Love, Luna.**


	6. Chapter 6

**6.**

The tunnel the hobbit entered was a dark one, so he could barely see ahead of him. It gave him comfort to know he was wearing the ring and that none of the creatures hiding in the shadows – if there were any – could see him. In fact, the ring gave him so much courage and strength that he dared to speed up his pace and run down the slippery path ahead. Small streaks of water came dripping down the walls and the high ceiling above him. The structure of the path reminded him a bit of the drawings he kept in his home in the Shire. He had always found the dwarves' architecture special and quite fascinating, but seeing the actual thing, Bilbo decided, was so much better. It was impressive how high the ceiling was and how broad the path. Dwarves were small, after all, and even though they could be quite well-set, Bilbo doubted they needed this much room to move around. While Bilbo studied the incredibly beautifully decorated stone, he didn't slow down to see where he was walking. No wonder you will think it that he tripped over a small rock and fell face down. He landed with a small groan escaping from his mouth. Before even trying to get up, he checked his left index finger to make sure the ring was still there. It was. So he scrambled up and continued his journey, but he had not walked very far before he dropped to the ground for a second time.

There was more streaming down here, meaning the floor was more slippery and sliming than it had been before. Bilbo felt himself move across the ground. Move further downwards, slowly. He tried to get up again, but did not succeed.

Not wanting to give up, he looked at the path ahead. Or where the path was supposed to be…

It had gone!

Panicking, grumbling and shouting, Bilbo tried to stop himself from sliding further down towards what seemed like an empty, black pit. He failed miserably.

'No, no!' Bilbo cried helplessly, knowing no one could hear him. When he had come to the end of the path he closed his eyes and prayed the fall wouldn't be too far.

On the left side of the Lonely Mountain, Thorin was trying to calm the overexcited dwarves down They were all so thrilled to be home and to find the kingdom of Erebor in such excellent state. But even though Thorin was probably the one who was the happiest of them all to be home, he knew that, if they wanted to keep their beautiful Erebor, they had to come up with a good strategy for when they would be attacked…

So it wasn't much later that they found themselves in the enormous throne room of the Mountain. The room where the king used to reside. It was a hall where not many of the company had set foot in before. Only Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, Fili and Kili had been there and for none of them their visits had been particularly long.

However, it was the room where their ancestors, the others in the line Durin, had planned their wars and battles. The room where the greatest victories had begun. So Thorin insisted on them to go there, believing it would bring them luck. But once they were there, it didn't feel very special. So, naturally, Thorin remembered the hurry he was in, and got to business.

With a loud thud, Bilbo landed on something hard. He groaned loudly, but the clasped a hand in front of his mouth, praying no one had heard. What sort of a burglar made noises while on a quest, after all?

Ignoring the pain in his limbs, he got up and looked around. He was stood in another hallway, but where the previous one had been empty, this one was filled with what seemed to be golden coins. He had found the dwarven treasure!  
But as he looked around the room, which was filled with piles of coins, crowns and gemstones, he understood that this was probably just a small part of it. He made his way through the gold – once in a while picking something up and slipping it into his pocket – and after a while saw a dim red light glow at the end of the hallway.

At first he panicked, thinking it was Smaug who had set fire to the stone halls, but he soon calmed down when he remembered that stone can't burn and that he was safe. For now. Because he also knew he had to go on ahead and knew that the red light in the distance was probably the dragon. It would still be quite a walk to get there, but knowing that he had to face the creature eventually made his stomach turn. He furiously hoped it would be asleep, would not hear or smell him and just… leave him alone. There was only one way to find out whether Smaug would actually leave him alone, though, and that was to go to him. Bilbo knew he had to, he had promised Thorin after all.

Oh God. Thorin. The hobbit realised he hadn't thought of him ever since he had turned right. He hoped he was alright.

So the hobbit sighed and nodded to himself. Thorin would be leading a battle above his head in a matter of hours, and he would be down here facing a dragon. That was the way it was going to be. He couldn't let him down. With that in mind the hobbit found the courage to continue his journey.

'Have you heard from Dain yet?'

The dwarves were sat at a long wooden table where the old kings of Durin used to sit at. A map of the halls of Erebor and the plains around the Mountain was spread out upon it.

It was Dwalin who had asked the question and Thorin shook his head in reply. 'And I do not believe we will hear from him. He will come or he will not, but he will not let us know in advance.'

'What a-' but Gloin's disrespectful title for Dain Ironfoot was not heard, for all the others started to ask questions as well.

'Silence!' Thorin bellowed at once, immediately making sure the others were quiet and paying attention. He pointed at the map in front of him, tracing the plains with his index finger. 'This,' he said slowly, 'is where the battle is going to take place. All our enemies _and_ friends will come from the east. It is almost certain they will meet halfway. Here, on the plains by the Mountain. We will be defending Erebor and our treasure, but we will be doing so from a distance.'

'So, we won't be fighting here?' Ori asked carefully, gesturing at the room around him. He wasn't sure he understood a great deal about tactics but even he was surprised to hear the battle would take place outside.

'Would it be wise, Thorin?' Balin asked, frowning lightly. 'Would it be wise? We know the halls of Erebor like the back of ours hand. Fighting inside or near the Mountain would give us an advantage!'

But Thorin shook his head. 'We wouldn't be able to get out. We would be trapped inside our home! No, Balin, to stay here would be a mistake.'

The other nodded. 'Yes,' he muttered, 'yes, perhaps you're right.'

Then there was a loud cry from the other end of the room. Bifur slammed his fist on the table and nudged Bofur, who was sitting next to him, angrily in the side. 'Oh,' Bofur said, all of a sudden aware of himself, 'He'd like to know who exactly are our enemies.'

'Orcs, wargs, elves…' Thorin spat with hatred in his voice.

'Don't be a fool,' a familiar voice told him. The dwarves all turned and saw Gandalf, standing in the middle of the throne room. 'Don't be a fool, Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under the Mountain. The elves would never fight alongside orcs and wargs! They are on your side.'

But Thorin barely listened to the old man's words. 'Where have you been?' he asked him, a relieved smile on his face. 'We needed you.'

Bilbo was about to finally become the burglar everyone expected him to be. The moment was hard on him and it cost him great effort to step over Smaug's threshold. For that is what the seven big gold bars in front of him resembled; a threshold. Bilbo bravely climbed over them and landed onto another pile of treasure. He felt his legs tremble because it was only now that he completely realised that he was in Smaug's lair and with that, in terrible danger.

For a brief moment he believed to be alone, but then he saw the source of the red glow he had seen earlier on. In the middle of the circular room, there was the largest pile of gold and silver Bilbo had seen so far and, partially hiding in between the jewels and coins, was Smaug. He was seemingly fast asleep. His golden and red skin spread a faint light through the room and his loud but steady snores echoed all around. No wonder the hobbit thought the dragon was sleeping still. But you should know that dragons are masters when it comes to deceiving unwanted guests. And so it was that Smaug was not asleep at all, but very much awake!

That made it only reasonable for Bilbo to jump when the pile of treasure started to move and roar and the dragon appeared and spoke to him.

'_Well, thief! I smell you and I feel your air. I hear your breath. Come along! Help yourself, there is plenty to spare.'_

_But Bilbo was not quite so unlearned in dragon-lore as that, and if Smaug hoped to get him to come nearer so easily he was disappointed. 'No thank you, O Smaug the Tremendous!' he replied, 'I did not come for presents. I only wished to have a look at you and see if you were truly as great as tales say. I did not believe them.'_

And, as you perhaps know, this is how one of Bilbo's finest tales began. A tale in which the hobbit deceived the dragon and got him to talk. And so it was that Bilbo discovered the dragon's weak spot…

Gandalf would not explain to the dwarves where he had been, nor would he say why he had come back. All he wanted to say to Thorin was what he had seen on his way to the Mountain. 'I was only just ahead of the largest pack of wargs I have ever laid eyes upon. They were joined by an army of orcs. No doubt they will be here in a matter of short hours…'

'Was _he_ with them?' Thorin asked, not daring to speak the name of his nemesis.

'The pale orc? Yes, he was. He is their leader, I am afraid.'

Thorin swore under his breath, but, since he had not expected any different, he turned back to Gandalf soon, allowing him to finish his story. 'The elves are coming too. Believe it or not, they are willing to fight besides you. It would be wise to accept their help.'

Thorin didn't reply. He didn't trust the elves and worried they would turn on him after the battle, but since he had no other allies so far, he was willing to fight alongside them if he had to. 'What of the men of Lake Town?' he asked the wizard.

'They will fight their own battle.'

Thorin sighed and rolled his eyes. 'What does that mean?' he bellowed. Gandalf's impossible riddles always managed to confuse and anger him.

'It means,' he wizard began his explanation, 'that you need not fear them. But they will not be on your side. They will fight the orcs and wargs, but not for you. They will fight to save their own town and their own lives. They are _not_ your friends, Thorin. Far from anything like that, in fact. Remember that.'

Gandalf then considered the conversation over and done and sat down on a wooden chair next to Gloin. 'Now,' he said, changing the subject, 'Can anyone tell me where your Burglar has gone?'

The dwarves all looked at each other rather flustered. 'Where's Bilbo?' Fili and Kili asked each other simultaneously.

'The hobbit is gone?' Bombur muttered.

'Where has he gone, did you say?' Oin asked, thinking he misheard something. 'Where?'

'Nowhere!' Ori cried, 'He's gone nowhere! We've lost him!'

'He's gone home,' Dori said, 'Am I right?'

But Nori shook his head, 'He can't have. He would never leave us.'

'He tried leaving us once before…'

'Maybe he's playing a trick on all of us!'

'Maybe he's dead!'

'Don't be ridiculous. You can't just kill our hobbit. He's too strong.'

'Shut it, Dwalin. It's just a hobbit.'

'He's more than a hobbit. I know he is!'

'Stand up, stand up! Maybe you're sitting on him.'

'He isn't that small.'

'Bombur get up. You could be squashing him.'

All the dwarves started looking for him and blamed each other for losing their Burglar. The entire time Thorin had been quiet and two others had been staring at him with raised eyebrows. One of them was Gandalf. The other was Bofur.

'You know where he is, don't you?' the dwarf asked his leader.

'No, I don't,' Thorin lied. But Bofur, who wasn't as stupid as some thought, saw through him immediately.

'You never take your eyes of him. If he would have taken off, you would have known and you would have stopped him. So, that's not the case. You told him to go, didn't you?'

Thorin raised an eyebrow. 'I told him to go where?'

'To the dragon, of course!'

There was a long silence, in which Thorin nodded, Gandalf coughed and Bofur stared at the other dwarf in disbelief. 'You've sent him to his death.'

'Come now,' Gandalf interrupted him, 'I believe Bilbo stands quite a change against Smaug. I have told you many times before; there is more to him than any of you believe.'

'Besides, Bofur,' Thorin spat, 'Surely you don't think that if I thought I was sending him to his death, I would let him go? I don't like taking risks when it comes to our Burglar, but in this case he is our only hope and I really believe he will outsmart the fire drake.'

Bofur shrugged. 'I hope so.'

Thorin did too.

Thorin turned out to be right; Bilbo did outsmart the dragon Smaug. Smaug had, rather accidentally, revealed the weak spot in his armour on the left side of his chest, close to the heart. After a long conversation full of tricks from both parties, Bilbo decided to leave. He had the inside information he had come for and knew that he had to tell Thorin as soon as he could. But Smaug was no stupid creature and as soon as Bilbo took his first step back towards the threshold he roared loudly. 'There is no pointing in trying to leave, thief,' he rhymed, 'You will never out run me.'

But Bilbo knew he had to try and so it was that he found himself running down the corridor he had entered earlier that night. At first he heard the dragon roar even louder than before, then he could tell he was spitting fire at him. The hobbit briefly glanced over his shoulder and his eyes widened when he actually saw flames comes around the corner of the hallway. He tried to go even faster, but being the little hobbit he was he knew he would not stand a chance unless a miracle would occur.

Faith was with him.

As the little hobbit stumbled through the treasure back to the Mountain Entrance, Smaug's footsteps behind him stopped and the dragon let out a horrifying shriek. When Bilbo turned around to see what had caused it, he saw the dragon stuck between the wall of the path. The path may have been broad enough for several dwarves to walk side by side, but the dragon was simply too large to fit through. Bilbo sighed relieved as he stared at the raging dragon in disbelief. Before leaving the creature to its misery, he stooped and picked up a large, shining gemstone that was almost too big for him to carry in his hands. So, he put it in the largest pocket of his jacket. He then did something so remarkable, that the Shire-folk still talk of it. He laughed. And in response, the dragon roared and roared and for a brief moment Bilbo thought that Smaug would break through the walls and come after him anyway, but no such thing happened. The dragon had given him a nasty shock, though, and as the hobbit sprinted away he muttered to himself, 'Never laugh at live dragons, Bilbo you fool!'

And it were those exact words that later become so famous in the Shire and passed into a proverb.

He chuckled to himself but sped up his pace nonetheless. He had to get to Thorin as soon as possible to tell him about Smaug's weakness and warn him there was a dragon on trying to break out of the Mountain…

Thorin had eventually decided to tell his Company where the hobbit had gone. Most of them agreed, one or two thought Thorin a fool for sending the hobbit on such a dangerous task. Thorin did not listen to the reactions he got on his choice though. It had been decided and it was too late to turn it back now, anyway. He did tell Fili and Kili off when they wanted to place bets on whether or not the hobbit would return, though.

The leader now focussed on the battle ahead. Gandalf had predicted they did not have much time, so there were quick decisions to be made.

'Balin,' he said, gesturing for the other dwarf to come closer. He expected Thorin to give orders, but when he didn't, Balin asked him; 'When do we take up arms?'

'As soon as we find any.'

Balin frowned. 'What do you mean…?'

'I mean that we have to find proper weapons, and armour. What we have on us now is far from good enough. Besides, we broke and lost half of our things on the journey.'

Balin nodded and plucked his beard. 'Wouldn't there be some downstairs…?' he suggested. Thorin knew there was. Big parts of their treasure consisted of pieces of mithril and the strongest weapons the dwarves had ever made. Just as he was considering going after Bilbo to find the treasure, the iron doors to the throne room opened. In stepped Bilbo, a proud grin on his face.

All dwarves' faces lit up at once as they saw their Burglar safe and sound. The hobbit hardly had eye for any of them though and ran towards Thorin right away. The dwarf embraced him and held him close against his chest, laughing heartily.

'You outsmarted Smaug,' he noted, a vague hint of disbelief in his voice.

'Yes I did,' Bilbo smiled proudly, finally letting go of Thorin, 'Though there might be a bit of a problem…'

Bilbo spent the next few minutes telling the others what had happened and finished with the fact that there was a live dragon not very far away, trying to kill them.

'Then we must not linger,' Thorin spoke. 'We will enter the other tunnel briefly, get the armour and weapons we need and go outside and wait for the battle to commence.'

Bilbo shivered slightly at the word 'battle'. He had believed the worst – the worst being Smaug – was behind him. But there were plenty more bad things to come.

'Fili, Kili, Nori and Ori, go and find us some armour,' Dwalin told the four younger dwarves. They immediately hurried out the room.

Thorin swallowed hard and drew in a shaky breath before slowly walking up the three steps before the throne, in the middle of the room. Just before he sat down, Balin raised his hand. _Wait_.

Thorin knew why and so, before sitting down, he spoke; 'Tonight, we will fight to the death. We don't know how many wargs and orcs we are up against. We may not stand a chance. But we will defend our Erebor and our brothers!'

There were some hesitant cheers in the very small crowd. There were more arched eyebrows and sad faces, though.

'We will go out there,' Thorin continued gesturing to the doors, 'And we will fight with pride. We have allies out there. Plenty of them on who we can count. We are not alone! Erebor will not go down. After tonight, our homeland will rise again!'

And at the moment he spoke the words, the four dwarves Balin had sent away, entered again, carrying large piles of weapons and armour. They dropped it onto the floor and the things landed with loud clings and clangs.

'Du bekâr!' Kili cried, smiling slightly as he used his uncle's infamous battle cry. 'Du bekâr!'

It wasn't long before the others followed his example. As one they called out; 'Du bekâr!' And ran towards the pile of treasure. They picked out their weapons of choice and chose armour that suited them. All but one. Thorin was still stood at the top of the stairs.

Balin, who had just put on his chain mail, turned to see him and grinned. 'There is one I could follow,' he said in a soft voice, 'One I could king…'

No matter how quiet his voice had been, the others had heard and they stopped with what they were doing. They looked at their leader and to his surprise, all lowered their heads and bowed. His eyes met Balin's, who was the first to look up to him again. 'See here, Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, the rightful King under the Mountain back on his throne.'

Bilbo had, just like the others, knelt down and now slowly got up to find Thorin sitting on the stone chair. The dwarf frowned, then saw Bilbo's happy face staring at him and smiled back at him briefly. Then, for the last time he broadened his shoulder and called out, 'Du bekâr!'

He got up from his throne and ran down the few steps. Out of the pile of treasure he plucked a silvery coloured coat that looked a bit like a chainmail. 'What is this?' the hobbit asked, feeling slightly absurd in his new outfit.

'This, is mithril. The metal is stronger than any other but is also very light. It can only be found in the mines of Moria and is quite rare. I want you to have it.'

Bilbo did not know what else to say beside stammering a 'thank you.'

'Come on,' Thorin said, slamming the hobbit on the back. 'With me.'

And so Bilbo, Gandalf and all the others dwarves followed the king outside where dark skies and cold winds awaited them.

**Sometimes a story needs some actual story telling. That's what this chapter is. Not a lot of Bagginshield as you may have noticed, just some story telling.  
I'm sorry for not posting a new chapter for a while, but like I said last time I have been to Rome. And this week turned out to be a lot busier than expected. I am leaving for London first thing tomorrow morning, and I'll be home again on Friday. So, I'm afraid it will be a while before I post chapter 7…**

**Please leave a review. As stated previously; I love reading them. And once again, if you think this chapter was complete rubbish… By all means; let me know. **

**Love, Luna. **


	7. Chapter 7

**7.**

'A weak spot near the heart?' Bofur repeated the hobbit who was just telling them again what he had found out. 'Why doesn't he just fix his armour?'

'Because,' Bilbo explained, 'He doesn't know it's broken!'

'And I thought dragons were clever,' the dwarf sighed and then sat down on a small rock next to the Mountain side, shooing a bird away.

The thrush circled around Bofur's head for a while, before landing on his shoulder and biting his ear. 'Ouch! Get off!' the dwarf scowled. 'Go on. Shoo.' He waved his hand, but the bird would not go.

Then to their surprise, the thrush talked. 'This is my home. And I'll sit where I like, Mr dwarf.'

Bilbo gasped and Bofur raised his brows in disbelief. 'It talked,' he stammered, stating the obvious. 'Of course it talked,' Gandalf laughed heartily, 'All animals can talk, you see. Some do, all the time. Like this little fellow here.'He gestured at the thrush, that still hopped around on Bofur's shoulder.

Fili frowned. 'If all animals can talk, then why don't they?'

The wizard chuckled to himself. 'They talk to each other all the time. But they like to keep quiet when it comes to humans, dwarves or even elves…'

'Why?' the younger dwarf asked.

'They think you're stupid. And quite right at times, if you ask me.'

'Stupid?' Kili repeated the wizard, 'Us?'

Gandalf shrugged. He thought it would be wise if he kept quiet as well. If you have nothing nice to say… don't say anything at all. Maybe, he thought, that was another reason why birds didn't usually talk to dwarves.

Thorin seemed not impressed with the bird, nor Gandalf's story. 'We've got a long night ahead of us,' he said, 'And if we're unlucky a long morning as well. I say we prepare.' Then he turned to Bofur and told the thrush on his shoulder; 'Feel free to stay on his shoulder as long as you wish, but do not interfere with what we are doing tonight or I-'

'Thorin,' Bilbo warned in a hushed voice that shut the dwarf up.

'I only came here to hear the news,' the thrush then told them, 'Now that I have heard and seen it, I will be off.'

'Off to where?' Thorin asked sceptically. But the bird appeared to be done with the dwarves and without uttering another word, it flew away.

'This way,' Thorin grumbled to the others, no longer caring about the thrush. He did not want to linger much longer, even though he found it hard to leave his mountain behind again. He led them back to the plains they had crossed during the day and hid behind a large pile of rocks. He gestured for the others to follow his example.

'Is this it?' Dwalin asked as he crouched down, 'Will we wait here for our foes to arrive? Behind a couple of large stones?'

'Unless you have a better idea; yes,' Thorin replied, 'And I suggest you think twice before you answer that, master Dwalin.'

And so it was that the dwarves, the hobbit and the wizard hid behind those rocks, while a little thrush made its way to Lake Town and the dragon Smaug was still roaring in the Mountain.

Smaug was still stuck in his Mountain. He couldn't turn back nor could he walk on. So that left one solution for the dragon, which meant that he broke out.

The noise was louder than any of the Company had ever heard. Rock and stone soared through the air and landed on the ground with loud thuds. Pieces of gold and silver and jewellery were thrown about as the dragon came crashing through the Mountain.

'Watch out!'

Dwalin's cry was only just in time. If it had not been for his warning, the rock landing next to Bilbo would have hit him on the head.

'Hide!'

'Where?' Bofur replied angrily as he dodged another stone that came falling from the sky, 'We've nowhere to run!'

Above their heads Smaug roared ferociously. He breathed fire into the cold air. It was bright enough to light up the darkened plains.

'I can see you dwarves,' he spoke, 'And I can smell you! You may not be the men of Lake Town but my scent tells me you have met with them and that they have helped you.'

It was Bilbo who stepped forward and replied. Having dealt with the dragon – and outsmarted him- before, he hoped he would manage again. 'The men of Esgaroth have helped us, indeed,' he told the fire drake, 'You're right. You're absolutely right. But-' he hesitated, 'But they-'

But Smaug had heard more than enough. 'Then I will burn each and every one of them. And their precious town will burn with them, Thief.'

Bilbo felt the ring in his pocket and ran his index finger across the golden thing, wondering if it would be of any use. It would probably just make matters worse if he put it on, though…

The dragon flew off, laughing heartily at the pathetic bunch of dwarves down below. Thorin stood next to Bilbo and looked up at the airborne creature. Smaug looked back briefly and growled when he saw Thorin. 'Thorin Oakenshield,' he observed, 'You call yourself the king under this mountain, while I have made it my kingdom ages ago. I am the rightful king. I hope the battle that awaits you will destroy you and your race and that your bodies will rot and decay. And if not, I will come for you myself once I have finished with the humans in Esgaroth.'

With that last threat still burning on his lips – quite literally - he was gone. Thorin laughed nervously. The dragon's words sounded almost too ridiculous to be taken seriously. Then the dwarf saw the frightened faces of the others, including Bilbo and Gandalf's and something immediately told the king that he should take Smaug's words seriously after all…

'We have to warn the people of Lake Town!' Bilbo suddenly realised , briefly forgetting about Smaug's promise to kill the King.

'Don't worry about them, Mr Baggins,' said Gandalf, 'I believe they will be quite ready when he arrives. Smaug is flying towards his doom…'

They did not ask the wizard for an explanation, for they were almost certain they would not get one either way. The news on its own was good, of course, and relieved smiles magically appeared on the dwarves' faces.

'If the men of Lake Town will be the dragon's doom, that means he won't be around to kill any of us,' Gloin noted, quite proud of himself for stating the obvious.

Gandalf had to stop himself from not rolling his eyes and smiled. 'Exactly.'

'We don't need a dragon around to get killed,' Thorin spoke in his lowest voice, 'There is orcs and wargs out there waiting for us to come out and play. Even with Smaug gone, danger still remains.'

The rocks and stones had by now stopped falling from the sky so the Company could walked around without the danger of getting their heads smashed in. But Gandalf did advise them to stay close to the pile of rocks, which soon gained the name of 'Stone Fortress.'

The name had started off as a joke, when Bofur has used it sarcastically. The others had laughed, agreeing that the bunch of rocks on the edge of the plains did look pathetic. But the longer they hid behind it, the more advantages it turned out to have.

It was more than big enough to keep all the dwarves out of sight for the enemy, but they could peer through little openings in between the stones and keep an eye out on what was happening on the plains. Which was nothing. So far.

Balin had agreed to the task of watchman, so it was mainly him who found himself crouched down, leaning forward against the stones, spotting every single movement in the distance.

It was a cold winter night and that meant not only Bilbo Baggins found himself shivering. Even Fili and Kili, who were usually the toughest in the bunch and could endure the most had to stay close together to keep each other warm. Thorin had ordered not to make a fire, a wise choice because the enemies would spot the light – but it did result in everyone feeling extremely cold. Except for Gandalf, who kept blowing warm breath into his hands. Every time he did so, Bilbo saw tiny yellow flames escape from the wizard's mouth. How easy life as a wizard had to be…

The hobbit kept rocking back and forth, trying to stay warm but it hardly worked. He saw Thorin staring at him, a few feet away from him. When Bilbo looked up and noticed him, the king gestured to come over. Bilbo, too frozen to stand up, crawled towards him. As soon as he sat down next to him, the dwarf's arms wrapped around him, fingers curling around the hobbit's shoulder.

'How is your shoulder?' Thorin asked as he stroked it gently.

It had been a while since the hobbit had thought of his wound. In the rush of the day he had not even checked on it. All he knew was that it did not hurt as much as it had. He felt it burn slightly under Thorin's touch now, but it wasn't too painful.

'It's fine,' he smiled.

Thorin raised an eyebrow and scoffed; 'Fine? Again?'

Bilbo had quite forgotten about their earlier conversation, so he corrected himself to make sure the dwarf actually believed his shoulder was fine. 'It's much better than before,' he told him, 'I think it's healing quite fast.'

Now it was Thorin's turn to smile, even though the one on his face seemed weak. 'Good,' he muttered and after a short while added, 'Are you still cold?'

'Yes. But a lot less.'

The king pulled him closer. Bilbo felt the fur on the shoulder of Thorin's coat tickle his cheek. It was nice feeling and the fur was a lot warmer than the cold wind blowing in his face, so the hobbit didn't think twice and buried his face in it. He felt Thorin's shoulder go up and down as he laughed his deep, warm chuckle. The dwarf moved the hand that had been on Bilbo's shoulder to his head and slowly ran a hand through the hobbit's hair. He played with his soft curls while still holding him tightly against him. Bilbo wrapped his arm around Thorin's waist and closed his eyes.

'What was it like in Smaug's lair?' Thorin asked suddenly.

Bilbo frowned slightly at the question, not sure what kind of answer Thorin expected to hear from him.

'It was big…' he replied with a hint of confusion in his voice. The king did not seem to notice.

'And the treasure?'

'Big as well…' Bilbo joked, his eyes still closed and still not understanding Thorin's questions.

'Good,' came the dwarf's reply and then a deep sigh. 'I wish I had seen it myself.'

'It was just a very big pile of gold, really,' Bilbo muttered, not too interested in the dwarven treasure.

'Exactly. I would have liked to lay eyes on it.'

Bilbo opened his eyes, disturbed by Thorin's reply. 'Why are you so obsessed with the treasure?' he asked him.

'I am not!' the king replied angrily and then his voice softened, 'But there is something in there. The most precious gemstone you can imagine. We called it the heart of the Mountain when it was found. It's the king's jewel my grandfather Thror was very proud and very fond of.'

Bilbo felt the stone in his pocket. Could it be…?

'What did it look like?' he asked.

'Big. Shiny. Carefully polished. Like a proper diamond, but larger. So much larger.' The king let out another sigh. 'Oh, the Arkenstone.'

So that was its name then. The name of the stone the hobbit had found when he escaped from Smaug. He, Burglar Bilbo Baggins had stolen the king's jewel, the Arkenstone and kept it in his pocket right now. Next to that precious, little ring. He grinned to himself. If only Thorin knew!

_What if he knew?_

_He'd probably try to take it from me._

_What? The ring?_

_No. The Arkenstone._

_He'd take the ring as well._

_But the stone is his to take!_

_The Ring isn't._

_He doesn't need to know about the Ring._

_No, he doesn't._

_I have to give him the stone, though._

_No. You don't._

And so it was that Bilbo decided to keep the secret of the Arkenstone to himself. He was not exactly sure what it was, but something told him it now belong to him. There was no need to give away your most precious belongings. Not even to a king.

'The Arkenstone? Hm. Never heard of it. Haven't seen it,' the hobbit lied to his friend, 'Perhaps you will find it later when you return to Erebor.'

'I will find it. No matter what,' the dwarf promised himself. Bilbo put a hand on his pocket and felt the gem was still there. So was his ring.

'Why do you want it so much?' he asked his friend. Thorin did not reply, but continued playing with the hobbit's hair. Bilbo closed his eyes again, now feeling slightly guilty for not telling the king about the Arkenstone.

He was so close to falling asleep when he heard Balin call Thorin's name. Thorin shifted immediately, shaking Bilbo up and sprinted towards the walls of the Stone Fortress to look out on the plains. His heart racing in his chest he looked in the direction Balin pointed in. He saw nothing at first, but afte a while he, too, spotted the red light in the distance.

'What is it?' he asked the watchman.

'Is it Lake Town,' Balin whispered and his voice breaking, he added, 'And it is on fire.'

So it was.

'Gandalf was wrong then,' Thorin said slowly, 'Smaug has not been defeated and Esgaroth will burn.'

What Thorin did not know was that the men of the Lake _were_ prepared for Smaug's attack. The little thrush that had been sitting on Bofur's shoulder and had heard Bilbo tell about the dragon, had flown to the city and informed the Master. The Master had sent for Bard the Bowman, the best archer of the town and a hard worker. It would be his task to pierce Smaug's skin and kill him.

But the fire drake had arrived before Bard was ready. He had still been looking for his bow and most importantly his magic arrow that never missed its target, when Smaug set the first houses alight.

He now rushes through the mass of screaming citizens and knocked several out of his way until he eventually reached the harbour, which was already blazed with light.

Spitting fire from high above, there was Smaug. The creature had no eyes for Bard, whom he thought was just like the other humans. Weak and scared. And that is why Bard could raise his bow and fire the arrow at the dragon's heart without Smaug even realising it.

From a distance Balin and Thorin could see a large figure fall from the sky. Smaug's silhouette was clearly visible against the light of the flames and the dwarves watched as he shrieked and threw his long neck back in pain, then came crashing down. They could only just see the dragon hit the ground below him.

'That marks the end of Smaug the Magnificent.'

Thorin and Balin turned to find themselves facing Gandalf, who had a mysterious smile on his face. It was him who had just spoken, of course and Thorin replied; 'The dragon is really dead, then?'

'You just witnessed his fall yourself, Thorin. Yes, he is dead.'

The conversation had not gone by unheard by the others. Except for Oin, who kept asking what had happened, they all knew in a matter of moments. A small celebration broke out and eventually even deaf Oin heard that the Reign of the Beast had come to its long-awaited end.

If the night would have been a different one, there would have been a terrific feast, no doubts. It was _not_ a different night, however, and even though they were all glad and relieved, none of them were merry for very long.

Soon Balin was back on his post the others were hanging and leaning against the stones or each other.

'After tonight,' Thorin told Bilbo who was resting his head on the dwarf's shoulder again, 'I can go back to my Mountain, see my treasure and find the Arkenstone.'

Bilbo could not help rolling his eyes. 'Where is this all coming from?' he asked him, '_Your_ Mountain? Erebor is not just _yours_, it belongs to all of you. And so does that treasure!'

'What do you know?' the dwarf sneered at Bilbo, 'What do you know about _my_ Kingdom, hobbit?'

'I know little about Erebor. But I know you. And this,' the hobbit gestured at Thorin, 'This isn't you. This is a king, who does not care about anyone but himself. A man who , just like his grandfather , has a serious gold fever!'

They stood up simultaneously and stared at each other. Both with anger and disbelief in their eyes. Bilbo was so surprised with his own outburst that he was panting slightly and had to swallow hard before he could continue. 'You have changed since we arrived here. As soon as the treasure was within reach, you became this.' He held the bridge of noise and frowned briefly. 'If this is the rightful King under the Mountain, then he is not the same man I met all these weeks back.'

'You are wrong,' Thorin sneered, 'And you don't even have the _right_ to talk to me like that!'

'You don't understand!' Bilbo shouted, a rage bigger than any boiling up inside him. 'You need to stop thinking about the gold and that stone. They shouldn't matter as much as they do!'

'A king deserves his gold, burglar,' Thorin said, his voice trembling, 'But I would not expect a simple hobbit like you to understand.'

Bilbo took a step backwards involuntarily and shook his head. 'Look at yourself…' he whispered, 'Just look at what you are now.' He wanted to explain to Thorin how he had changed. And not for the better. But he simply could not find the words. So he ended up shouting; 'I don't want you to be like this!'

'That is not my problem,' the king replied haughty.

Bilbo was about to reply when Balin called for Thorin for the second time that night. Thorin turned around, gladly leaving Bilbo standing where he was.

'Your pride will be your downfall!' Bilbo called after him, but Thorin pretended as if he did not hear.

Like the others, Balin had heard the biggest part of their fight. But wisely he decided not the mention it. Besides, there were more important things at hand.

'Over there,' he pointed to the left and Thorin peered through an opening and followed Balin's finger. Thorin drew in a very deep breath and briefly closed his eyes.

'It is starting,' he brought out. And when he opened his eyes again he and Balin heard a horn blow and saw a the faint light of torches approaching in the distance…

**Hello, again.**

**I suppose that leaves a bit of a cliff-hanger. Woops. Sorry.  
I'll be writing more soon, though. And I've got no fancy trips to go on this week, so I suppose the next chapter will be up relatively soon.**

**As always; if you want, please leave a review. I can keep saying it over and over again. They are the most wonderful things to read and always make my day and get me a smile on my face.**

**Love, Luna.**


	8. Chapter 8

**8. **

Bilbo found himself sitting on his own later that night. Or morning, really. The first faint red beams of sunlight were becoming visible against the black night sky. Dawn was nearly upon them.

From a reasonably big distance he could see the dwarves rush about near the Stone Fortress. He couldn't tell whether it was panic or excitement running through their veins and causing the slight chaos in the group.

He saw Thorin shout some orders and look around with a slightly bewildered look in his eyes. Eventually his gaze went blank and he stared in Bilbo's direction. In fact, he was looking directly at him. But Bilbo stared back, knowing that the king could not see him.

Grinning deviously, the hobbit ran his fingers across the golden band he wore around his finger. 'What a handy little thing you turned out to be,' he whispered to it.

It was because of the Ring, of course, that Thorin could not find his Burglar, no matter how long he stared in the direction Bilbo had strode off in. The king still believed the hobbit was wrong concerning his 'gold fever', but with Azog's orc army on the doorstep he wanted to make sure Bilbo was safe, because no matter how angry he was at him, it did not stop him caring.

Next to that, the hobbit's words had gotten him to think. He kept telling himself how he did not have a gold fever, how was different from his grandfather Thror. It was not gold he craved. Well, maybe it was, but surely he could do without the treasure.

Right?

There had always been a small part inside of him afraid he was like his ancestors. That the thought of gemstones and silver would eventually become his belief. And in the end, the Sickness would take over and he would go mad…

'Are they attacking? They're heading this way!' Dwalin interrupted his thoughts.

It was Balin who answered him. 'Look to you right, brother. Do you see those lights?'

'Aye, I do!' Dwalin growled, 'They're surrounding us! At arms! At arms!'

'No!' his brother cried, 'Look closely and listen. Those are not orc torches or orc horns!'

Thorin followed their gaze and instantly recognised the faint green and blue lights. 'Elves,' he spat.

'The Elvenking has come to your aid, then,' Gandalf said slowly, 'Just like I predicted.'

'No,' the dwarf whispered, 'for he is not alone.'

Not just Thorin but the other dwarves who had been on the lookout had made out the figures of those who were definitely not elves.

Bilbo could see what was happening on the plains as well from where he was sitting, hidden in the shadow of the Mountain. He, too, saw that Thranduil was joined by a human standing beside him.

Hobbits, you should know, have a good eyesight, so Bilbo could tell the man next to the Elvenking had black hair and wore clothes like the men in Lake Town had. He could only guess it was one of them. Perhaps the Master, whom Bilbo had not met during their short stay. But he was wrong.

On the frontline, close to Thranduil, stood Bard the Bowman, who had killed the dragon Smaug. And it was because that deed that he believed he should be given one twelfth of the dwarven treasure.

He had wanted to go and claim it when the Elvenking had arrived, proposing a deal to him.

That had lead them to where they were now. Ready to fight alongside Thorin Oakenshield, in order for him to give up part of the gold and part of Erebor to thank them.

After the newcomers had arrived, still no one had answered Dwalin properly. 'Are they coming for us now!? Or are they waiting?!'

But a reply was no necessary, because the dwarf could see the orcs turn away from them and head to the east, where the other army of elves and men awaited them.

'Thranduil will take the first blow then,' Thorin sighed. 'Do we go to help? Are they our allies?'

But not even Gandalf could tell anymore. It promised to be an odd battle.

So they watched in complete silence as the enemy marched. They were with many and most orcs were sat on wargs, which doubled the amount of foes. 'If the elves and men are not on our side and my cousin Dain does not come, we stand no chance.'

'Don't despair,' the grey wizard said wisely, 'We will see. What comes will come and… the other way around,' he finished quite hopelessly. 'But I know one thing, Thorin. Whether they meant to or not, the elves and men have bought you time by distracting Azog, and I suggest you use it.'

'Use it how!?' Thorin sneered at him impatiently.

'Wisely.'

The hobbit, who did not really know what exactly was happening, felt very tired. It had been more than just any long day. If the final part of their journey to the Lonely Mountain had not been difficult enough, then his adventure with the dragon had broken him up. Not to mention the fight he had had with Thorin only moments ago.

He felt horrible. And he was very hungry.

He did not dare think about food, though, guessing it would take some time before there would be anything to eat for him. The other option to make himself feel better was to sleep. But with two dangerously big armies so close, he did not think sleeping would be wise. Just in case he had to run for his life…

So he slumped back against the tree branch he had been sitting next to and hummed himself a song.

When he finished it, he noticed how quiet it was. The dwarves seemed to hold their breath in anticipation of what was happening on the plains. Even Fili and Kili were silent and peered through the holes in the Stone Fortress to keep an eye on the enemy. Bilbo also spotted Thorin speaking to Gandalf. Bilbo saw their mouths move and could tell they were talking quietly to each other. After a while the dwarf got up and nodded politely at Gandalf. To the hobbit's surprise Thorin walked away in his direction.

_He can't see you. You're wearing the ring, _he thought, _he can't see you._

'Bilbo?' Thorin hissed, 'I know you're here. Show yourself.'

He looked around, partially expecting the hobbit to listen to him. But the hobbit did not.

'Bilbo? Bilbo!? Take of that ring. Gandalf says its-' he did not finished his sentence, knowing Bilbo would not come unless he gave in. So, just for once, he swallowed back his pride. 'I'm sorry,' he admitted to the seeming nothingness around him, 'You were right. Perhaps you were. But I can explain and I-'

As soon as Thorin stepped close enough to where Bilbo was sat, the hobbit stuck out his leg and, with a small cry, Thorin tripped and fell face down. He swore as he was pinned down from the back.

Bilbo had jumped right on top of him and held him down. He had put the ring back in his pocket, so when Thorin looked over his shoulder to see his attacker, he caught a glimpse of the hobbit's face, grinning at him like a madman.

'Get off me, you-' he stopped to think of a proper insult, 'under-sized burglar!' he laughed and then, as he turned around and pushed the hobbit down, asked; 'Where were you hiding?'

'Right under your large nose!' the hobbit joked.

Thorin raised an eyebrow, not sure whether he felt insulted or very amused. 'We better get back to the others and-'

Bilbo snorted. 'I don't think so! You were in the middle of an apology. Go on, finish it.'

The king rolled his eyes at him. 'Fair enough,' he sighed annoyed, 'I am sorry. I should not have been so rude and cruel. There was no need.'

Bilbo smiled satisfied. 'You also said that I was right, I believe…?'

'I did.'

'You did what?'

'I said you were right.'

'Why?'

'Because you were!'

'I was what?'

The other drew in a deep breath, understanding what the hobbit wanted him to say. 'You were right.'

Bilbo could not resist. 'Right about what?'

Thorin's smile faded from his face, as he wanted to take this opportunity to tell his story. 'Right about my 'gold fever'. Back in the days when my grandfather was King under the Mountain, we referred to it as a Sickness. A Sickness of the Mind. He was one of the many in the Line of Durin who was driven mad by his desire for gold. It is the part of my family's past that I take no pride in and I have always feared the same Sickness would come to me, in the end. And here it is.'

'No,' Bilbo whispered, 'No, I don't think so. If you would have been just like king Thror, then you would not have realised what you just described to me. You are not like your ancestors, Thorin. I fail to believe that.'

There was a short silence. 'Then I thank you for believing so. And I will take pride in not being like them. I will be the New King under the Mountain. A different one. I do not want the treasure. Just my fair-earned share of it. And-' he stopped and bit his lip, then plucked his beard.

'And what?'

He was not sure if he should tell, afraid of what Bilbo would make of it. But he would be lying if he kept it from him.

'The Arkenstone,' he admitted in a hoarse voice. Before Bilbo could share his opinion, the dwarf continued, 'Not because of how much it is worth, but because it has a meaning.'

'That makes sense,' Bilbo smiled fondly. He did not think twice to know what to do. He put his hand in his pocket, took out the Arkenstone and handed it to Thorin. 'Here.'

Thorin stared at him in disbelief. 'How did you come by this?' he asked as he got up and took a step backwards, creating more distance between them.

'I- I,' Bilbo stammered, confused by Thorin's reaction, 'I found it when I ran from Smaug.'

'You have been carrying it with you ever since?'

The hobbit nodded. 'Yes.'

'But-' Thorin brought out as he took another step away from the hobbit. 'No. I trusted you.'

'You can trust me, Thorin! Don't be ridiculous! I gave it to you now, didn't I?'

'I told you about it. I described it to you… And you lied to me, without even looking away, that you had never heard of it or seen it in your entire life. You said so, while it was in your pocket!'

'That was because I-'

But Bilbo swallowed back his words, not daring to speak them.

'Because you what?' the dwarf asked.

'Nothing. I'm sorry.'

'You betrayed me!' he spat.

'Thorin, no,' the hobbit whispered, 'I just did not think it would be wise to give you the Arkenstone. I thought you wanted it because it is worth so much! I thought you wanted it in the same way your grandfather would have wanted it. I did not realise it had a special meaning. I was wrong, so this is me giving in. That's why I gave it to you now, I-' the

'I will gladly take it,' Thorin replied, the stone clenched in one of his fists. 'But _you_ have got to leave. I will not have a traitor in my Company.'

Bilbo did not even know why he was protesting because at the moment, he did not even want to be part of the King's Company, but subconsciously he had grown to care, not just for Thorin, but for all the other dwarves as well. 'No, I'm staying!'

'The choice is not yours to make.'

'No, you don't understand,' the hobbit pleaded, 'I don't want to see any of you hurt!'

'Then consider this your lucky day. You won't come with us during battle, so you won't see any of us fall. You will learn of our faith when you are home. When you are back, safe and sound, in your beloved little hole in the Shire.'

The thought of Bag-End sent shivers down Bilbo's spine. For a brief moment he felt very homesick, but he quickly pulled himself together. 'I don't want that, Thorin. You _must_ understand, if you know me at all-'

'Oh, I know you,' Thorin spoke slowly as he raised his chin and straightened his back, 'I know you through and through, and I know you would rather be next to your fire place, or at the tavern, dancing and singing merry songs with your hobbit friends, not thinking of the world outside the Shire's borders. You have been wishing to be back there ever since we left! Don't even try to lie to me, Bilbo. I know I am right.'

'That's not fair,' Bilbo whispered, staring at the ground, 'To say so now, to remind me of the fact that I am merely a Halfling _now,_ with a war on hands and a big battle on the doorstep. No, Thorin, that is not fair!'

As he shouted the last words at the king, he felt tears sting his eyes. He wanted to roll his eyes at himself for being so weak, but instead drew in a deep breath and steadied himself, ready for whatever else the king had to say.

'Not fair?' Thorin scoffed, 'Won't you look who's talking? Well, well, well, if it isn't the Burglar himself. The same thief who stole the Arkenstone from Smaug, then robbed it from the King under the Mountain.'

'I did not-'

'I told you to leave, Mr Baggins,' Thorin hissed, 'I suggest you do so now.'

'I just want you to be safe!'

'No man is safe in battle. There will be deaths and injuries and wounds that will never heal. Believe me when I say that dragging a hobbit along to have him fight as well, will not change our faith. It will only make for an extra death. Trust me; I am doing you a favour.'

With a grim look on his face, Thorin turned away. Without looking back, or even glancing over his shoulder, he called; 'Now be off!' And that, was that.

Bilbo felt cold and numb, both inside and out. He took slow steps, not sure in which direction, hoping he would be home soon. He was wearing the Ring again, mainly because he did not want to be seen by any sort of foe, and partially because he did not want anyone to see a crying hobbit and make fun of him. He wiped a tear that came rolling down from his cheek away and coughed.

He barely understood what had happened and only vaguely remember the exact words spoken. But he knew that at the Stone Fortress there were thirteen dwarves waiting for the inevitable. He could not leave them. Not now. He knew they would not stand a chance if Dain did not come but they-

As soon as he thought of Thorin's cousin from the Iron Hills, the hobbit heard the drums. The low but loud sounds moved in his direction and it wasn't long before he saw an army of dwarves march onto the plains below. Dain Ironfoot had come and he had brought many.

There were not as many dwarves as there were goblins, orcs and wargs, Bilbo observed, but together with the army of elves and men, they might just stand a chance after all.

The Company had seen the same and after a small gesture of Thorin's hand they all sprinted down hill with loud battle cries coming from the top of their lungs. Gandalf followed, though not before gesturing in Bilbo's direction. 'Come with us,' he mouthed.

Bilbo did not even wonder how the wizard knew where he stood while wearing the Ring, he was mainly very glad that he had thought of him and wanted him to come as well. Forgetting about what the king had said about the terrors of the battlefield, the hobbit joined the fight.

So began a battle that none had expected; and it was called the Battle of Five Armies, and it was very terrible.

**Hello everyone!**

**Writing this chapter has been really hard for me. (Because of reasons- if that's an appropriate reason to give.) Anyway, I'd love to hear what you think of it; so please, leave a review. **

**Hope to get the next chapter up very soon. To be honest I don't think you will have to wait this long this time, because I'm already well-on-my-way. **

**Love, Luna.**


	9. Chapter 9

**9. **

The thirteen dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf soon lost each other in the chaos. The hobbit could see the wizard and one of the dwarves, from the glimpses he had caught he thought it was Dwalin, and tried to catch up with them, but his path was blocked by an orc, baring its teeth. With a small cry, more of a scared gasp, he ran Sting through it. The creature fell from his bloodied sword with a surprised shriek. It could not see the hobbit, who was still wearing the Ring, so as it was dying and its eyes darted around, he never saw his killer. Bilbo shivered and resumed his way.

Somewhere else on the plain, Thorin met with Dain and thanked him for coming. However, time was of essence and they found themselves fighting back to back within seconds. Orcrist seemed to scare most of the goblins and its victims lay on the blood-stained grass with eyes still wide from shock even after they died.

That morning the 'blade that sliced a thousand necks' cleaved several more.

It wasn't long before Dain left Thorin's side and made himself scarce to another part of the plains. The King under the Mountain himself was joined by his two nephews.

The brothers worked together at all times. They barely needed words to know what the other was doing; When Fili stabbed an orc in the chest with one of his knives, the dwarf ducked so his brother could fire an arrow over his head that hit another orc riding a warg in the neck. Fili then finished their action by slicing the beasts front legs. It fell over with a shriek and sent its rider flying. When the animal's body hit the ground it soon lay motionlessly. Blood streaming from its wounds.

'Come on!' Fili told his younger brother as they made their way across the battlefield, following their uncle, who slayed several on his way.  
At one point a goblin attacked Thorin's back, but Kili reacted in an instant and shot the creature. Thorin turned around in time to see the attacker die, Kili's arrow sticking out of his back. The dwarf shouted a short 'thank you' to his youngest nephew, then hurried along. The other two dwarves did not understand why he would not wait for them, so Fili called after him; 'Thorin!'

He did not stop.

'Thorin, wait!'

It was only after three more cries the dwarf finally stopped. 'What?' he snapped.

'Where are you going?' Kili asked as he and Fili caught up with him.

'What makes you think I am going anywhere? I am making my way through dead bodies of foes and friends, as you all are.'

'You're not fooling us,' Fili snorted, 'You have a plan. You are headed somewhere, we can tell.'

'Yeah,' Kili agreed, 'And wherever you are going, we will follow you there!'

Thorin knew there was little time, so decided to tell the truth. 'The battle can end in two different ways,' he explained, 'There is no other way. It ends with either my own or the Pale Orc's death.'

'What?' Fili exclaimed.

'Are you looking for _him_?' Kili asked.

He nodded. 'I have to face him. I might as well do so now, while I still have the energy and faith.'

'But uncle-' Kili hesitated, 'What if he kills you?'

'Then perhaps that has always been my faith.'

'But Azog will trap you! He will have goblins and wargs ready for you. He won't want a fair duel! Let us come with you, to protect you.'

'No! It's too dangerous!'

'The chance of dying here, or dying somewhere else on this battlefield is equally big The danger is there anyway,' Kili told his uncle. His voice was trembling and there was a serious frown on his face, and for a brief moment he reminded Fili of their uncle himself.

At hearing those words, Thorin looked him right in the eyes. 'What have I done?' he whispered.

'What?' the brothers asked simultaneously and both very confused.

'You are so young. Both of you. This is no place for children…' Thorin bit his lip as he eyes the boys. 'By my beard, what have I done?'

Fili and Kili were not sure what to say, so surprised were they by the words coming from the king. 'But you were younger when you found yourself in your first battle! When you faced down Azog for the first time and-'

That was true, of course. But Thorin did not let Fili finish. There was no time to discuss this now and if he would send his nephews back to the Mountain, they would have to cross the plain again. It was too late to keep them safe now. So, after taking a deep breath and shaking his head at himself, Thorin bellowed; 'Du bekâr!' and then 'With me!'

'Du bekâr!' the boys repeated him and off they went; the three dwarves from the Line of Durin. On their way to find Azog the Defiler.

Bilbo soon found that the Ring did not make the situation less dangerous. He could still be hit by arrows or be walked into or even ran through by accident! So he took it from his finger and put it back in his pocket, closing the button and hoped he would not lose it.

The first advantage of not wearing the Ring was that his allies could see him. As soon as Gandalf spotted the hobbit, he warned him to duck. Just in time, because if it had been a second later, Gloin´s axe, which the dwarf swung back over his shoulder, would have cleaved his head right off.

'I'm sorry!' the dwarf shouted, hoping the Burglar could hear him over the noises the warriors of Dain made.

'This way!' Gandalf ordered the hobbit.

'Where are we going?' Bilbo asked, already slightly breathless from all the running he had done and was doing now.

'To find that stubborn king!' came the reply.

'Why?' panted Bilbo, 'Is he in danger?' Then realised what a silly question that was and added, 'I mean, in graver danger than the rest of us.'

'No,' Gandalf told him as Glamdring pierced an orc's stomach, 'But he is the King under the Mountain and we cannot lose him! He has to be protected.'

Bilbo did not reply because he did not have the energy or enough breath to do so. It was hard enough for him to keep up with the wizard, while jumping over the corpses of the fallen. Not to mention, he found it so very difficult to keep going, even when injured elves, men and dwarves pleaded for his help. At one point he thought he saw Thorin among them, coughing up blood and grunting quietly, but it appeared to be a different dwarf. However, that did not stop poor Bilbo from finding it absolutely horrible. Eventually he stopped running. 'Gandalf!' he panted, 'Stop.'

His feet could not carry him any further and his eyes had seen more than enough misery.

'Bilbo? Are you alright?'

'Yes. Yes, I'm fine. Just give me a moment and I'll be completely…-'

'Bilbo…'

'No, I'm not. Of couse I'm not 'fine',' he admitted once again. 'This,' he gestured, 'Is nothing like the big battle descriptions in my books at home. These men, they are no heroes. They are terrified. As they should be, Gandalf. I can't watch this. I can't take it in anymore. It's too much.'

'Yes, it is,' Gandalf smiled weakly, 'I know. This is no place for a hobbit.'

'No. This is no place for anyone.'

'Bilbo! Behind you!'

The hobbit turned, Sting pointing forwards. The blade ran the goblin that attacked him right through. But Bilbo gasped when he saw the tip of the goblin's sword had pierced through his clothes.

'Bilbo!'

Gandalf's voice seemed miles away. 'No!'

The wizard's arms wrapped around him and dragged him away. The hobbit gasped and grunted, scared of what had just happened. He had expected it to hurt much more, but it was not the pain that made it unbearable; it was the thought of dying.

Gandalf carried him to a calm spot on the plain, where the battle had moved north, towards the Mountain. He placed the hobbit against a small rock, after shoving an elven corpse aside.

'Gandalf?' Bilbo panted, clutching his heart. 'What is it like? Dying? What happens in the end?'

'End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it.'

'See what?'

'White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise…'

Gandalf's words instantly calmed the hobbit down and gave him courage. 'That doesn't sound so bad,' he laughed through the tears that came running down his face.

'No,' the wizard agreed, 'it does not.'

He wiped a tear from the frightened hobbit's face. 'Do not cry, Mr Baggins. I believe you will be alright.'

'When I am gone, you mean?'

'No. If you were dying, your forehead would have been sweating and your clothes would be bloodstained by now.'

Bilbo looked to where he had been hurt. The wizard was right; there was not a drop of blood visible. At first he did not understand, but then he realised what had saved him. He unbuttoned two of his shirt buttons so Gandalf could see the shining vest he was wearing underneath.

'Mithril,' Gandalf laughed, 'It is worth twice the value of the Shire, I believe. You hobbits never cease to amaze me, Bilbo Baggins. Nothing can pierce this strong metal… How lucky you have been to be given such a gift. Unless you stole it…?'

Bilbo chuckled. 'I did not steal it, my dear Gandalf. It was given to me by Thorin.' He leaned back against the rock and let out a long and relieved sigh.

'Up you get,' Gandalf told him as he pulled him to his feet.

Just as the wizard and the Halfling wanted to start looking for Thorin again, a large figure appeared from the west. The bear that came rushing towards them knocked several out of his way until he reached he wizard. Bilbo had jumped behind Gandalf, not knowing whether the bear was friend or foe. It was only when Gandalf spoke to him, that Bilbo understood.

'Beorn, my old friend,' the wizard greeted the skin-changer. He could not talk while in bear-form – and if he could then he did not – but nodded slowly. Gandalf quickly thanked him for coming to their aid, then explained the situation as; 'We have to find Thorin. Follow me.'

Gandalf lead the way and, just as they were told, Beorn and Bilbo followed him. Beorn could kill most orcs or wargs with his claws. The skin-changer proved to be a most useful ally and he save Bilbo's life quite a few times in the short time they spend looking for the king. The hobbit himself did not do any killing, he found it bad enough that Sting was covered in blood and he believed there did not need to be added more to it.

'There!' Gandalf's deep voice boomed through the air. The wizard pointed to the tallest, broadest of orcs, not very far away from them. Bilbo immediately recognised him as Azog the Defiler. So did Beorn and he snarled at him. Surrounding the pale orc were at least twenty other orcs and goblins and they were fighting Thorin Oakenshield.

The king was a brave and skilled warrior, but he would never win against so many. Gandalf and Beorn rushed forwards as one; the shape-shifter made sure no creature would hurt the wizard as he was focusing on his magic.

Bilbo, in the meantime, rushed to Thorin's side and helped him fight the enemies attacking him.

'I told you to go home!' he shouted as he wielded his sword at a howling warg.

'I know,' the hobbit nodded, parrying a blow and stumbling over his own feet, 'But I really could not leave you. So I came back.'

'This is no place for you! You will die.'

Trying to sound a lot braver than he was, Bilbo said; 'Then I will die at your side. I could live with that.' Thorin tried to keep a straight face, but eventually grinned at Bilbo's pun.

All of a sudden the clouds above their heads gathered rapidly and before they knew, they burst. Rain came pouring down and lightning lit up the skies. A hard wind began to blow and their foes were blown backwards. Only Azog, Thorin, Bilbo, Beorn and the grey wizard himself were left standing.

'Keep them at bay!' Thorin told Gandalf and the shape-shifter. Then he turned to Azog. 'This is it,' he told his foe, no longer scared of him, but determined to beat him once and for all.

Bilbo looked around, expecting an orc to jump up behind him any second. Instead, he saw a dwarf knelt down next to another. The hobbit sprinted towards them, as soon as he recognised them. They were Fili and Kili.

'Don't go without me! No! Fili! No! You cannot leave me. Together, yeah? You promised me, together! Fili! I'm so scared, I am so scared. Fili! No! NO!'

Kili was holding his older brother close in his arms. The other looked at him with lifeless eyes. 'He's dead,' the youngest muttered, his eyes wide open. 'He could not even wait for me. It happened so fast.' He looked up to the darkened sky, allowing big tears to fall from his eyes.

He did not care for the pain the two arrows in his own chest caused; the death of his brother and the feeling of being alone hurt him more than anything ever could.

There was nothing Bilbo could do for the dying boy, so he stood there motionlessly. 'I'm so sorry,' he whispered, but Kili did not look up anymore.

'Make sure uncle lives,' was all he uttered to the hobbit, before closing his eyes and sighing, almost relieved, when all life left him.

Bilbo sat down next to the brothers. He was so shocked and sad that he didn't dare speak or even weep. He looked to his left, where the battle was still going on as if the brothers did not matter. He glanced over his shoulder to see Thorin fight Azog. The hobbit wondered if he knew of the faith of his nephews. Judging by the anger and sadness readable from his usually hardened face, he guessed that he did.

Bilbo was right, of course. Thorin had seen both his nephews get hit by the orc-arrows, but all he had done and could have done was shout and cry their names. He had not been able to make his way through the foul beasts blocking his way towards them. So he had fought and he had stood his ground until help came from Gandalf, the skin-changer and his Burglar. Someone who was as loyal as that hobbit turned out to be now, could hardly be called a traitor. Thorin cursed himself for being so angry with him and treating him so unfairly.  
Azog ran towards him with a threateningly fast speed. The dwarf would apologise to the Burglar when the battle was won. He had to focus on this fight first.

Thorin parried the first blow with his shield, but the strength with which Azog had attacked him did knock him against the ground. He rolled to his right, dodging a second blow of the Defiler's mace. The weapon was heavy, so Azog needed some time to pull it out of the mud. Thorin used that time to get behind the Pale Orc and lunged, cutting Azog's back with the tip of Ocrist. The blood seemed almost black against his white skin. He cried out in pain and threw the dwarf backwards with the enormous amount of strength in his arm. Orcrist fell out of Thorin's grasp and landed a few feet away from him; out of reach. Fortunately Thorin also carried his axe which he now swung at Azog, but the weapon was easily parried by the orc's metal arm.

Thorin lunged again, but Azog dodged him. Another blow came from the Defiler and barely missed the dwarf. He fell to the ground again but had a harder time getting up than before. His muscles were beginning to ache and the small cuts and scratches on his face and arms stung harder with every drop of sweat that landed on them.

Azog, who seemed to be untiring, laughed. 'It is a good thing you will die today, Thorin Oakenshield,' he said, a grimace on his face, 'A dead king is better than a weak one.'

'I agree,' Thorin spat, 'But I am not weak. Nor will I die today!'

With a loud cry he leaped forward and swung his axe at Azog's chest. It missed him only just. Surprised by Thorin's sudden energy boost, Azog stumbled backwards, only just keeping his balance intact.

And then, to the orc's an Thorin's surprise, something cut Azog's legs. Blood streamed from the cuts on his knees and he fell down onto his back, crying out in pain.

'Bilbo!' Thorin exclaimed happily when the Burglar slipped the Ring back into his pocket. Then, knowing there was no time to lose, he hurried to Azog, who was still on the ground, having difficulties getting up. He heaved his axe high above his head. 'It ends here, Azog,' the king said and let his axe crash down on the Defiler.

Bilbo looked away and closed his eyes, shivering at Azog's last cry and the sound of his neck snapping.

For a long moment it was awfully quiet. The only sounds were the faint cries of warriors and the clinging of metal, but they seemed miles away.

Bilbo, still looking in the opposite direction of Azog's lifeless body, felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He found it was bloodied and bruised when he glanced at it. When the hobbit turned around, though, he saw that his hand was not the only injury Thorin had. His face and his clothes were covered in blood. Bilbo could not tell how much of it was his own.

'Thank you,' Thorin whispered.

Bilbo shrugged. 'I had something to make up to you.'

'No. I was wrong,' the dwarf assured him, 'I was wrong once again. It appears that, when it comes to you, I always think the worst. I am sorry.'

'Oh, Thorin,' was all Bilbo could bring out before throwing his arms around the king's neck. 'I am so glad you are alive and well!'

'The same can't be said for many others…'

'Fili and Kili,' Bilbo knew his friend meant, 'I am so sorry. They should not have died. It's not fair!'

'Life is not fair,' Thorin said, smiling weakly, 'Nor is death. So there you are. But at least it is all over.'

Bilbo let go of him and eyed him fondly.

'We will take them home,' the king said, 'And they will never be forgotten.' He then pulled the hobbit close again and briefly brushed their lips together. 'But like I said,' he muttered as he pulled back and brought a hand to Bilbo's face, 'It is over. It is done.'

Bilbo smiled, 'I really believe that it is.'

At that moment multiple things happened at once. From the sky came high-pitched, familiar shrieks. Bilbo looked up and took Thorin's hand in his. With his other hand he pointed to the birds circling high above. 'The eagles! The eagles!' he laughed, 'The eagles are coming!'

He looked to his left to see Thorin's reaction, but instead he felt the dwarf squeeze his hand and saw his face turn ghostly pale. His breathe caught sharply and he gasped for air as he dropped to his knees.

'Thorin?'

It was only then that Bilbo noticed the orc, grinning at him deviously. 'No…' Bilbo breathed when he saw the tip of a sword sticking out of Thorin's back, his red blood dripping down the steel. 'No!'

From their right, Beorn leaped onto the orc, pinned him to the ground and bit his shoulder and neck. From behind Bilbo, Gandalf appeared out of nowhere and pulled the hobbit back. Bilbo looked over his shoulder and saw an eagle ready to take him and Gandalf back to Erebor. 'No, let me go!' the hobbit shouted, trying to kick the wizard in the shin, not taking his eyes of Thorin, who clutched the blade in his chest with both his hands. 'Thorin!'

As Gandalf pulled him back, he felt the king's hand slip from his grasp. 'No,' he cried again, 'No!'

He then saw Beorn and tried to get his attention. 'Beorn!' But the skin-changer did not hear. 'Beorn! Beorn!' he called, 'Beorn!' he felt the wizard tug him backwards again. 'BEORN!'

The bear finally looked at him, leaving the dead orc for what it was. 'Help him. Help Thorin! You have to get to the king! Safe him! Please!'

Gandalf lifted him onto the eagle and before he knew they were airborne. The wizard still had his arms wrapped around him, so he couldn't jump down. 'Gandalf, let me go! Let me go. Please. Gandalf! I have to be with him! Please!'

But the wizard showed no mercy, so their eagle flew across the now almost quiet battlefield. Not many were left standing. The fighting had stopped. The battle had been won. The victors were going back to the Lonely Mountain.

**See, I told you the next installment would be here soon. I hope you liked it. **

**Well… When I say 'liked'… **

**Anyway. Please leave a review. Once again; they best thing about writing, is knowing that people actually read your stuff. **

**Right. The next chapter, chapter 10, is probably going to be the last one. Sorry. **

**Love, Luna.**


	10. Chapter 10

**10. **

The hobbit did not know how exactly he had managed to fall asleep while sitting on the eagle's back, but he later suspected the wizard had something to do with it.

He had no idea how much time had passed when he woke on a soft bed inside the Mountain, but it could not have been a lot. There were several dwarves rushing about the hall, looking after the wounded. A few others had just come back from the battlefield and were looking for their brothers. Some were told terrible news, others were lucky enough to find them alive.  
Bilbo sat up and scanned the room, hoping to see Thorin, but the king was nowhere to be found. The hobbit hoped he had no slept too long…

He hopped out of bed and walked past several injured men, elves and dwarves. He recognised Oin, who was snoring loudly but apart from a broken arm and some cuts on his nose, seemed alright.

He also saw Bofur who was just climbing out of bed as the hobbit passed by.

'Oh, I see the hobbit is already out and about. Back on his big and hairy feet. Don't you ever sleep?' he joked.

'Believe me, if I could I would sleep for four days on end,' he told the cheerful dwarf who looked at him as if the battle had never taken place. 'Do you know where I can find Thorin? Or Gandalf? Or Beorn, even?'

'Beorn was here?'

'He came to our aid, yes. Have you not seen him?'

Bofur shrugged. 'No,' he said, 'And the same goes for the others. I've only just woken up myself. They gave me a sleeping draught, you see. Said it would ease the pain. Hah! By my beard, were they wrong…'

'No sign of the King yet, then?'

'No, why? Should there be?' Bofur asked, a hint of concern in his voice. 'I can't say I haven't been worrying about him myself. Ever since I found this on the battlefield…'

He put his hand in his pocket and took out a big gemstone that Bilbo immediately recognised as the Arkenstone itself. 'Here,' Bofur handed it to him.

Bilbo took it in his hand and put it back in the pocket where he had kept it from Thorin not that long ago. 'You found this?'

'Just lying around! I picked it up, ready to take it back to Thorin, but I never found him. I got injured you see.'

He rolled up his sleeve and showed the hobbit his under arm, which had been cut open to the bone. Bilbo felt dizzy as soon as he laid eyes upon the wound and had to look away to make sure he would not faint.

'Stings like mad,' Bofur told him.

'W-what happened?' he stammered.

'An orc pinned met to the ground and thought it would be fun to torture his victim a bit,' he said as if it was no big deal. 'It was lucky Dwalin got there in time to snap his neck. If it had not been for him, I would have blooded to death then and there. But he asked two men and an elf to carry me here. The elf died in front of the gates… He got hit by an arrow. In the neck…'

Bofur stared blankly ahead as he muttered the words, remembering the awful things he had seen. Bilbo had never seen him so sad and quiet. But Bofur would not be himself if he did not force a smile back on his face and said; 'So, Gandalf and Thorin, eh? Well then, let's go look for them!'

It was Bofur's idea to look in the throne room. It turned out to be a very good shot in the dark, for they indeed found Gandalf there. His arm was in a sling; not even he had left the battle unscarred.

Bilbo was still very angry at the wizard because he had not allowed him to stay with Thorin. 'Where is he?' he bellowed as soon as they entered the hall.

'Where is who?' Bofur asked. The dwarf had no idea of what had happened to Bilbo, Thorin or any of the others. Just like many survivors, most news was unknown to him.

'I don't know,' Gandalf answered the hobbit's question first.

'What do you mean? Isn't he here?'

'No. Not yet, anyway.'

'Who are we talking about?!' Bofur interfered at last.

'Thorin,' came the reply from the other two simultaneously.

'Why? What has happened?'

So Bilbo told the dwarf of everything that had seen that morning. Of how Beorn had turned up out of nowhere, how Gandalf had used magic to safe Thorin, how Fili and Kili had died and finally of how Thorin had been stabbed and the battle had been over.'

Bofur's eyes had filled themselves with tears when the hobbit told him about the faith that had befallen Fili and Kili and now his voice trembled as he asked the wizard and the Halfling; 'Is there a chance he will survive?'

'Yes. Yes! Of course there is. There has to be,' Bilbo nodded, 'Isn't that right, Gandalf?'

The wizard did not answer him, but stared at the stone floor beneath his feet instead.

'Gandalf?'

'I will go and tell the others, then,' Bofur coughed as he made his way to the doors that led to the hall where the injured were.

'That would be wise, I think,' the wizard smiled at him and the dwarf hurried away.

At that moment Bilbo felt so very angry that he wanted to shout and cry at the wizard who seemed so calm and strong. He managed to remain quiet until Gandalf spoke to him.

'There are plenty chairs here, Bilbo. Please stop pacing and sit down.'

'S-sit down? Sit down?!' the hobbit bellowed, 'I can't even _stand_ _still_ that's how restless I am. Don't you understand?!'

'Of course I do, don't be silly. I know how you feel.'

'No, Gandalf. I don't think you do.'

Gandalf raised an eyebrow. 'I am very old, Bilbo. So much older than you can imagine. Do you not think I have seen many things? I have been through many battles, some even graver than the one we just ended and I have been in your position many times.'

'What position is that, then?' the hobbit asked. He had already calmed down a bit and he lowered his voice.

'You are afraid of losing someone very dear to you,' Gandalf explained, 'Afraid of losing someone you-'

'Yes,' Bilbo interrupted him, 'I suppose you are right. Of course you are.' He nodded at the wizard then stopped to think and bit his lip. 'But I'm not going to lose him, am I?'

The hobbit furiously wished that Gandalf would tell him that he was right but, as before, he did not speak.

'Gandalf!' he bellowed, anger boiling up inside him again, but then quickly looked away, feeling embarrassed for yelling. 'I'm sorry,' he muttered, 'I just felt so-'

'Helpless. I know.'

_Helpless. _That was the word.

'Helpless,' Bilbo confirmed quietly.

Just as he spoke the word the great doors that led to the room opened and a tall man walked in. It was Beorn, back in his human form, and in his arms he was carrying someone.

'Thorin!' Bilbo gasped when he recognised the dwarf's face. Beorn ignored the hobbit but walked towards Gandalf instead. 'He is alive,' he told the wizard.

Bilbo sighed relieved. 'So then he will be alright?'

The others still ignored him completely. 'Where do I leave him?' the skin-changer asked without blinking.

'With me. Come on,' Gandalf said slowly and beckoned Beorn to follow him. Bilbo did not care that none invited him to come along; he sprinted after them anyway.

It felt as if they walked through entire Erebor. Stone hall after stone hall. In nearly every room there were people, mainly dwarves, who bowed as their king and his protectors passed by. The entire journey – which felt just as long as the Unexpected one – Bilbo kept his eyes fixed on Thorin. His eyes were closed and his body hung limb in Beorn's arms. There was still more blood dripping from the wound in his chest and it left a small trace of splatters on the floors. Beorn had managed to remove the orc sword from his body, so he would not feel the pain of it and it would not make the wound even bigger.

Eventually they entered a room smaller than any of the ones they had been in, but still large enough to fit over a dozen dwarves in. 'Where are we?' Bilbo asked as he scanned the room for clues.

Gandalf did not answer him. 'Lay him down over there, Beorn. Then go and fetch the King's Company.' He pointed at what appeared to be a stone table. Carefully the shape-shifter placed Thorin's body on the table leaf. As Bilbo took a closer look and Beorn left the room, the hobbit saw letters engraves in the stone. 'What does this say?' he asked the wizard as he ran his fingers across the ancient runes.

No reply. Bilbo sighed and looked at Thorin again. He drew in a deep breath and leaned closer to him, so he could hear his shaky breaths and unsteady heartbeat. 'Hello,' he whispered in his ear, a weak smile on his face, 'You are going to wake up very soon, aren't you? There is no rush, though. Just open your eyes whenever you are ready. I will be here. I am not going anywhere,' his voice broke, 'I am never leaving you again.'

And, deciding to immediately stick to the promise, he knelt down beside the Table. 'I'm here,' he whispered, 'You will be alright.'

Gandalf eyed him from across the room for what seemed like hours and he never spoke, nor did he move.

The hobbit eventually got up again and took Thorin's hand in his the way he had done after the dwarf had slain Azog. 'You are not letting go this time,' he muttered. 'Don't you dare.' With his free hand he briefly touched Thorin's face. It was still covered in sweat and felt very hot. 'You have a bit of a fever, then,' Bilbo noticed, 'That is fine. Nothing that can't be helped, hm? Nah, you will be fine.'

He stroked Thorin's cheek and traced his cheekbones with his fingertip.

And then Thorin finally opened his eyes. The king had trouble focusing at first, but eventually his blue eyes found Bilbo's. When he recognised the hobbit he muttered his name, then closed his eyes again while letting out a low sigh.

'Hello again,' Bilbo whispered, 'How are you feeling?'

Thorin opened his eyes again. 'Fine,' he answered sarcastically.

'You are beginning to sound more and more like me.'

Thorin grinned weakly. 'I am glad you are here,' he mumbled, 'Here, at the end of all things.'

'Don't say that!' Bilbo told him appalled.

'I am dying and that is the only truth there is.'

'No, you can't-'

Thorin grunted and squeezed the hobbit's hand. 'It is better this way,' he smiled, 'It will be a relief when the pain stops, and I am happy enough knowing that Erebor is back in dwarven hands.'

'But what will the Mountain be without its King?!' Bilbo sniffed, fighting hard against the tears stinging his eyes.

'A new king will rise in time. That is how it has always gone. Come, do not cry.'

But the hobbit did. He did not try to keep the tears back anymore, even if he had wanted to he would not have been able to. They ran down his cheeks and, one by one, landed on the stone table.

'Come closer,' Thorin asked him. So he leaned in even further and the dwarf whispered in his ear, 'Before I go, I meant to warn you.'

'For what?' Bilbo asked, wondering what the dying dwarf could possibly be referring to.

'The Ring you keep. Be careful with it. Don't use it often and keep it hidden.'

'Why?'

'Because Gandalf believes it to be dangerous. And I think it very well could be. I have noticed how fond you have grown of it. You keep it with you at all times and constantly check whether it is still in your pocket. It will not surprise you when I say I recognise such enchantment by gold…'

Bilbo nodded. 'Don't worry,' he assured him, 'When I am home I will put it in a cupboard and I will never need use it again. It will be forgotten.'

'That I hope.' Thorin tried to raise his arm so he could reach the hobbit's face, but he grunted in pain at the action.

'Don't,' Bilbo told him sternly and pressed a gentle hand against the arm to make sure he would not lift it again. 'Just stay still.'

He tried to nod, but even an action as simple as that was too much for him. 'Okay,' he told Bilbo instead, 'You will go home then?' he asked.

'Someday.'

'Soon?'

'Perhaps. I don't know.'

'You _have_ to go soon. I want you to.'

'W-why?' Bilbo stammered confused.

'Because once the dwarves will start looking for a new king, Erebor won't be such a nice and merry place for a while.'

In the short silence that fell Gandalf saw his chance to let Thorin know he would take care of the hobbit. 'I will leave for the Shire within days. He will come with me.'

'Thank you,' was all the King uttered, before looking at Bilbo again.

'I hope you have a safe journey home when the time is there. Be careful, my Burglar.'

Thorin closed his eyes again and he breathed out slowly.

'No! You can't leave me! Not yet! Thorin! Come on!' The hobbit cried and shouted and that appeared to be just enough for Thorin to hold on to life. His eyes opened again, wider than they had before and for the first time since Bilbo had met him he saw tears glisten in them.

'I promised you before,' he whispered, 'We will meet again one day. I will wait for you.'

'Aren't you scared?'

'No,' he smiled, 'I think I'm quite ready for another adventure. I will miss you, though. Very much. An adventure without you will never be as good as the adventure we have been on the last few months.'

'Thorin, I-'

It was as if he had lost the ability to speak. He briefly wiped a tear from his face and leaned in to kiss the dwarf's lips. The unspoken words were thought by both, but neither found it necessary to speak them.

'I am sorry for everything that has happened to you,' Thorin whispered to the hobbit, his face only inches away.

'Don't be. I would not have missed it for the world. This journey has been incredible! I just regret that it must end this tragically.'

'Yes,' Thorin agreed weakly. His eyes were beginning to fall shut again and he knew he did not have much longer. He was clinging onto life with everything he had left. 'Bilbo, my Burglar, promise me you won't forget.'

'Forget? You? Our adventures? Never, Thorin. Not even when I am eleventy-one years old!'

Thorin smiled at him and took one more look. 'Then I must go. Until we meet again. Farewell.'

Those words were the last Thorin Oakenshield uttered. The smile on his face lingered forever, as did the small wrinkles around his eyes. He seemed so peaceful and happy, yet too quiet.

Bilbo wiped his eyes, even though the tears would not stop falling. He cried until his eyes were red and he had ran out of tears. Even when the Company found the room and said their final goodbyes to the King Under the Mountain, the hobbit was still sniffing. Some of the dwarves patted him on the back, or said some kind words to him, but none really seemed to matter. He barely heard them.

One by one the dwarves left the room in silence. Bifur and Bombur were the first to go. The fat dwarf's eyes were puffy and red and Bifur knitted his thick brows as he stared at the floor. They were followed by Oin, who had left his ear trumpet at the foot of the table as a tribute to Thorin. After him came Gloin, who looked tough but even his face had gone ghostly pale and his cheeks were wet. Dori, Nori and Ori followed him; Dori and Nori had to drag Ori, who would not stop sobbing, away from the room. 'Goodbye,' he whispered over his shoulder when the door shut behind them.

After them Dwalin and Bofur left. Dwalin was the only one who had not shed any tears, but had saluted Thorin by giving a short nod in his direction. He straightened his back and nodded once more, before turning around and leaving the room – his hands shaking, fingers clenched into its palm. Bofur hurried after him. He was still crying and did not even make an effort of wiping the tears away. He had gently patted Thorin's shoulder and whispered a few words, then decided it was time to leave. As he stepped through the doorway, Bilbo could hear him say, 'Everything ends. And always too soon.'

Balin was the last dwarf to leave. He said something in the dwarfish Khuzdul to Thorin and turned to walk away. He stopped in the doorway and bowed. 'At your service, laddie,' he whispered, sniffing quietly.

It was only then that Bilbo realised that the dwarves were not grieving for their King but for their friend. In Balin's case for his younger friend he had always cared a great deal for.

The hobbit wiped the last of his tears away and walked to Thorin's body again. He had nearly forgotten about it but seeing Bofur leave the room had reminded him that he still had the Arkenstone. He took it out of his pocket and held it for the last time before placing it in the king's left hand. He held the hand for a while and felt that the dwarf's fingers had gone cold already.

'Bilbo,' came Gandalf's voice from the corner, 'It is time to go.' Bilbo nodded absentmindedly. Before letting go of Thorin's hand, he kissed his lips one last time. 'Goodbye,' he muttered and took a step back to let the wizard pass. The hobbit did not know how Gandalf's trick worked, but the wizard somehow managed to swing Thorin's sword orcrist – which he had lost in battle – out from under his grey cloak. He placed its hilt on the king's chest and folded his hands – one still held the Arkenstone – around it. Then, with two gentle fingers, Gandalf closed Thorin's eyelids.

'Farewell Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror.' The wizard put an arm around the hobbit's shoulders and guided him outside. He closed the door behind them before Bilbo could look back over his shoulder. 'Come on,' Gandalf told him and they went their way.

'We leave for the Shire tomorrow,' Gandalf informed Bilbo later that day. They were sitting outside the Mountain where they had camped out before the door not long ago. They were joined by the rest of the Company – what was left of it.

Bilbo nodded, letting Gandalf know he had heard and understood. The wizard continued, 'I suggest you make your goodbyes now, then rest during the evening and night and I will wake you at dawn.' Bilbo nodded again but showed no intention of actually doing what Gandalf asked of him.

The sun had come out again and even though it was still cold, the hobbit preferred sitting outside over spending more time in the dark, underground halls of Erebor. He was very grateful the other eleven were with him, even though ten of them would rather be inside.

Gandalf had ordered him to make his goodbyes, but the way Bilbo saw it, this _was_ goodbye; sitting in silence because there was nothing left to say, but together nevertheless. It seemed fitting after all they had been through.

And so they sat there staring at the empty plains below. Bilbo had expected it to look peaceful, now that the battle had ended. But the truth was that there were still dead orc bodies everywhere on the lands below and blood coloured the sand bright red.

They watched the sun set and the dwarf's put up their hoods against the cold. From the Mountain came a few of Dain's dwarves who offered them food. They brought out bread, all sorts of meat, ale and even a decanter of wine – which they had probably stolen from the wood elves.

As sad as the dwarves were, eat they could. And hungry they were. Even Bilbo had a few slices of bread and half a chicken breast. With their stomachs filled, the dwarves seemed to feel better and after a pint of ale the first began to speak again. It was not much later before the first songs were being sung and laughter was heard again. The hobbit, too, enjoyed himself very much. Later in his life, when he was much older, and he was reminded of this very evening a smile would appear on his face. Because even with all the pain, sadness and despair in their hearts, the dwarves' Company was warm and it had begun to feel like home.

When the sun had gone down completely, Oin and Gloin got a fire going. The dwarves, Gandalf and Bilbo all assembled around it and Bofur sang in his deep, impressive voice,

_Far over our Misty Mountains dear_

_With songs of joy and cries of fear_

_Through longest days_

_We made our ways_

_And now journey's end is here._

The song went on a little longer and the other dwarves joined in, even Bilbo hummed the melody along. It reminded him of Thorin, for it was the same song he had sung when he had first come to Bag End all these months ago but with different lyrics.

The stars came out and Dori, Nori and Ori were the first to announce they were going to sleep. Gandalf suggested that Bilbo should join them. 'It will be a very early start tomorrow. You will need your energy for the journey home.'

So, a bit reluctant, Bilbo joined his friends and went back to the Mountain where they appointed him a bed in which he could sleep. As soon as he rested his head on the soft pillow he was gone, snoring rather loudly.

Gandalf kept his promise and woke Bilbo up when it was still dark. 'I have a horse and pony ready. Be quick, so we can leave,' the wizard told him and immediately left. The hobbit guessed he had to make a few more arrangements before they would go.

Bilbo got up and grunted. All the muscles in his body ached. He shrugged his shoulders in order to try to loosen them. He did not last very well because it hurt too much. Even his toe muscles ached – he never even knew that was possible.

'You're not leaving without saying a proper goodbye, are you?' came a familiar voice from behind him just as he was making his way to the door. It was Bofur, who had been sleeping in one of the beds next to his. He looked around the room, which he had not done the night before, and saw that there were ten others beds. In every single one there was one of the Company, sitting up already or still lying down, but awake nevertheless. 'Because you can't !'

'I can't what?'

'You can't take off without saying goodbye!' Bofur repeated impatiently, 'Are you sure you're not still asleep?'

Bilbo was quite sure. In fact he felt wide awake all of a sudden and the memories of the days past came back to him very fast. The battle. The wounded. Fili and Kili. And Thorin. 'No, I'm awake,' he told the others. 'The real question is… are you?'

The answer of course was that they were. Within moments they were all out of bed and put their boots on as fast as they could, then escorted the Halfling outside. They came through the throne room and from there Bilbo knew the route the chamber where Thorin was. He considered going there once more, just to say his final goodbye, but decided he did not have to. He had told him goodbye when he was still alive and his friend had heard and appreciated it. It was better this way. And come to think of it, the hobbit did not want to linger in the Mountain any longer. Now that the adventure had come to an end, all he really wanted was the Shire. His Shire, where the grass was green and not blood-stained, where folk were merry instead of sad and where his warm –hearted home was.

Gandalf was already waiting and mounted his horse as soon as he saw Bilbo and the dwarves come outside. 'Come on, Mr Baggins, we have a long way ahead of us.'

Bilbo nodded and gestured he would join him in a moment. He turned to the ten dwarves who were giving him sad looks.

'My friends,' Bilbo smiled fondly, 'Never in my life have I met such courageous and wonderful dwarves. Or men, or elves or even hobbits.' He glanced over his shoulder, 'Not even a wizard can compare to your fantastic Company. But even though I feel horrible for leaving, I do want to go home,' he smiled at the thought and sighed, 'I really do.'

He found himself choking up and decided to keep his goodbye speech as short as possible so finished with; 'I will miss all of you, so very, very much. There. My friends, this is goodbye.'

There was a short silence which was broken by Bombur, who stepped forward and patted the hobbit's back. He nearly toppled over. 'Here,' he said, handing him a big bread and an apple, 'Just so you don't get hungry on your way home.'

'Thank you!' Bilbo chuckled.

Bifur, too, came up to him and gestured something vague, while frowning deeply. Bilbo guessed he was apologising for not bringing any food. Then he bowed and Bilbo could guess what he was saying, even though he had never learned to speak the ancient dwarfish language. _At your service_.

'At yours.'

Bofur had been waiting for Bifur to step away and as soon as he did he flung his arms around Bilbo and hugged him. 'Can I come and visit you?' he asked as he let go, 'In the Shire, I mean?'

'Of course! As often as you like. And that goes for all of you! Tea is at four; but any of you are welcome at any time.'

The others bade him farewell after that. The last to do so was Balin. 'What about the treasure?' was the first thing he said to the hobbit.

'My share, you mean?' he laughed, 'I don't want it. You can share my bits of it with the men of Lake Town and the elves from Mirkwood, if you want.'

'Are you sure you don't-'

'I would not even know how to take it with me. Besides, I've got two chests buried in the soil in a troll cave somewhere. I'll dig them up and call them my own.'

'Quite right to, I would say,' the dwarf paused for a few seconds but eventually went on, 'Well then, goodbye to our burglar. Goodbye, Mr Bilbo Baggins. I wish you all the luck in the world.'

Bilbo mounted his pony and followed Gandalf down towards the edge of the forest. He looked over his shoulder and waved at the ten figures growing ever smaller in the distance.

'Goodbye, my friends. Farewell, Balin. And farewell, Dwalin; and farewell Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur and Bombur. May your beards never grow thing,' he whispered, laughing at the dwarf phrase he had picked up on his adventure, 'Farewell Fili and Kili. And farewell Thorin… May your memory never fade.'

Gandalf smiled at him fondly as he spoke the words. 'That has been quite a parting,' he said quietly.

Bilbo nodded. 'Yes,' he agreed, his voice shaking a little, 'But let's stop looking back. Even just for a while.' The tiny smile on his lips became bigger and soon turned into a grin. 'I'm going home.'

**Hello.**

**So, I suppose that's it. Well, not really, of course.**

**While writing this, which was very difficult for me, I decided I wanted a proper ending. So I am going to write a (short) epilogue that follows this chapter. But basically, this is the end of Bilbo's journey. (And the end of Thorin. Woops.)**

**Please leave a review, if you want. I really want to know what you thought of this chapter and of the story in general. **

**Love, Luna**


	11. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

It had been exactly one year since the Battle of Five Armies had been won and Bilbo Baggins was finally adjusting to life without adventure. He had found Bag End empty and dull when he had first returned to it and it had remained that way throughout the year. No other hobbits ever visited him, mainly because they thought he was odd or because he had changed too much. A respectable hobbit did not go on adventures and did not collaborate with wizards and dwarves. And no hobbit was meant to become rich in mysterious ways.

Because that is one more thing Bilbo had become. Apart from a Burglar, barrel-rider and adventurer he was now _very_ rich. The gold and silver the dwarves had buried after their encounter with Tom, Bill and Bert had still been there when Gandalf and the Halfling were on their journey home. Both treasure chests were now Bilbo's. And even though they still smelt of trolls they made the hobbit quite happy.  
Bilbo was sitting in his favourite arm chair – a green one – when the doorbell rang. He sighed. The Sacksville-Bagginses always managed to stop by at the most inconvenient times; preferably around two o'clock, when Bilbo was about to take his nap.  
He grunted when he got up and grumbled something inaudible as he scurried to the door, shaking his fists in anger. When he opened the door with a loud sigh, ready to say 'What is it now?' he was taken by a wonderful surprise.

On his doorstep were Balin and Gandalf. The dwarf, dressed in elegant, red robes, bowed his head. 'At your service, Mr Baggins,' he laughed.

'At yours! At yours!' Bilbo squeaked excitedly, 'What a marvelous surprise to see you Mr Balin. And Gandalf, too. Come in, come in, my old friends. I'll make us some chamomile tea.'

Not much later the three friends sat down in Bilbo's living room, carefully sipping their hot tea. Bilbo had put some biscuits on the table as well, but they were gone before you could say 'dragon'.

'You have not aged a day,' Balin noticed, carefully observing the hobbit.

Bilbo shrugged. 'No more than a year has passed since you last saw me. It only makes sense that I have hardly changed.'

'Perhaps. The same cannot be said for myself, however.'

The hobbit studied the dwarf in front of him. He was right; he looked older than he had a year ago. His white hair had gone even paler and more wrinkles had changed his face and made him seem very old.  
Gandalf laughed heartily. 'As long as it is obvious that I am the oldest – and wisest – in the room, your remarks are pointless,' he stopped, waiting for Bilbo and Balin to understand his joke. They both laughed eventually, though it was obvious how both forced it. Gandalf shook his head, 'The wiisest I am most definitely,' he muttered and then in a louder voice said, 'To business.'

'Business?' the hobbit stammered, 'So this is not a friendly visit then?'

Balin chuckled, 'When a wizard comes to the Shire it hardly ever is.'

'Then why are you here, if it is not for tea, biscuits and a bowl of soup later?' Bilbo asked concerned.

'We are here to officially mark the end of our journey. This is the end of the Company. I need you to sign this.' Balin folded a piece of paper open on the table. The hobbit leaned forward, peering at the letters. He recognised the ink scribbles from Ori, but had trouble reading them.

'What is this?' he asked the dwarf, pointing at the manuscript.

'It is a contract.'

'What does it say?' he frowned, peering at the parchment intently.

Balin coughed. 'Shall I read it to you?'

'Just give me a short summary,' Bilbo smiled, seeing how long the contract was.

'Very well,' he sipped his tea, shot a quick look at Gandalf and began, 'After you left we buried Thorin and his nephews. But, though it was different for his remaining companions, the sadness did not last long in Erebor. We needed a new king. It soon became obvious this would be Dain himself, as he is Thorin's cousin.'

'Dain?' Bilbo asked, 'But what about you or another from Thorin's Company?' He had not used Thorin's name in so long and speaking it sent shivers down his spine.

Balin shook his head. 'Dain is the next in line. Besides, I doubt any of us would have wanted to claim the throne after Thorin…'

'So, where are you now then? Just another amongst many, living in Erebor?'

Balin tapped the contact in front of them. 'There is more to tell. The Company of Thorin Oakenshield has scattered across the lands. My brother Dwalin, Ori, Nori, Dori and I travelled to the Mines of Moria and now live there. I promised to look after them all, so officially you are now speaking to the Lord of Moria.'

'Really?'

'The one and only,' he laughed and finished his tea. 'You said something about soup earlier?'

'Ah yes, yes,' the hobbit said as he got up from his chair, 'I have a large kettle filled with mushroom soup in the kitchen. Would you like a bowl as well, Gandalf?'

The wizard nodded, 'Please. Although I believe Mr Balin has not finished his story yet.'

'It can wait,' the dwarf said, 'Soup is much more important.'

'That is what I thought.' So little Bilbo hurried off to the kitchen, only to join the others moments later with three big bowls of soup in his hands.

They talked of ages past; of adventures they had survived together and of all the things they had seen. Gandalf even told part of his own journey, when head not been with the rest of the Company.

There was laughter when they remembered the merry evenings, there were tears when they talked about the Battle of Five Armies and there was silence after they spoke of Fili, Kili and Thorin.

'And so we have reached the journey's end once more,' Bilbo muttered. Quite some had passed and the Halfling had lit a small fire in the fireplace near the window. He stared into the flames. 'He promised we would meet again one day,' he muttered, more to himself than to Balin or the wizard. 'But when? I hate the waiting. It never ever ends.'

'I don't think you should want to wait,' Gandalf frowned, 'It will happen and when it does you will be ready. The time is not there yet for you to be reunited, Bilbo Baggins, and you should be very grateful for that.'

'I can't be,' the hobbit sighed, 'Bag End may be the perfect hobbit home but it seems so pointless to live an easy life here once you have seen what is out there. I might have been able to enjoy the Shire more knowing all my friends had lived.'

The others nodded. Both understood exactly what the hobbit meant, as they both knew the feeling well enough.

'I am sorry,' Gandalf whispered, but Bilbo waved his hand, meaning it did not matter. 'Don't be. I am glad to have been part of Thorin's Company, honestly.'

'Ah yes!' Balin exclaimed all of a sudden. 'The contract!'

'What about it?' Bilbo asked skeptically.

'You still need to sign it.'

The dwarf pointed at the hobbit's quill pen and ink pot on his desk in the drawing room. Bilbo immediately went to fetch it and dipped the quill in the ink when he got back.

'Sign it here,' Balin told him, tapping a blank spot on the parchment.

'What happens if I do?'

'Your signature would mark the end of the Company.'

'What happens if I don't?'

'Our Company will remained intact,' the Lord of Moria explained.

'And what would that mean?'

The dwarf thought for a moment, but finally said; 'Nothing.'

'So, what you are asking me, is to break the final bond? The final link connecting me and them?' He did not speak Thorin's name, but all three knew he thought of him and that it was because of him that Bilbo did not want the link broken or the contract signed.

Balin looked at Gandalf and the wizard nodded, confirming that the dwarf should answer truthfully. 'Yes,' he muttered, 'That is what I am saying.'

'That's what I thought,' Bilbo sighed, 'Sorry, Balin, I can't sign this.' He put the ink and quill on the table and leaned back in his chair, shaking his head slightly.

'It is time you moved on,' Gandalf told the Halfling, arching his brows. 'You can't keep living in the past!'

'If only I could.'

'But it is done! There no going back, so you have to move forward.'

Bilbo looked up at him, narrowed his eyes and swallowed the lump is his throat away. 'No man ever said the past would always follow,' he whispered, 'I can't move forward since the past will always haunt me. And no one warned me that it would! No man ever told me so.'

The old wizard sighed and his eyes filled with a great sadness Bilbo had not seen before. 'What do you see, when you look ahead?' he asked the hobbit.

'Nothing. There's nothing to look forward to. Not anymore. I want to see the elves again, Gandalf. I want to go back to Erebor. I would travel over the Mountains a million times more. I want to do it over, but with a proper, nice ending.'

Gandalf smiled weakly. 'You are one of the most wonderful people I have ever met, Bilbo and you deserve all the luck in the world, but I can't turn time back for you.'

'I know,' he felt tears come up again but blinked them away and turned to Balin, 'You just said nothing happens if I don't sign the contract. So why would I?'

'Because it would mean closure. It would mean goodbye.'

Silence fell and Bilbo looked from Balin to Gandalf. 'I don't want to say goodbye. Not to you, not to any of the others. If I sign this, there won't be any reason for you to come visiting!'

The two others looked at each other briefly but Bilbo went on. 'No, I have an idea. You can come by next year and ask me again. I will have soup ready and perhaps something else, too. Perhaps in a year time I _will_ be ready.'

Balin and Gandalf eventually agreed to this and spent the rest of the evening telling more stories. Some old ones, some new. Bilbo learned about the time when Balin was young and had fought alongside Thorin in the Battle of Azanulbizar, the battle of the Mines of Moria and how they had become best friends. Bilbo, in his turn, told the dwarf about the awful Sacksville-Bagginses who had kept bothering him, even after his journey. 'They are worse even than the trolls we encountered!'

It was already very late when Bilbo started yawning and invited his friends to stay and sleep in Bag End. They gladly accepted his offer and Bilbo promised them a terrific breakfast.

When the hobbit woke the next morning, however, there was no one to make breakfast for. Balin and Gandalf had gone. The had left a small note on the table;

'Until next year, when we will meet again.'

Bilbo was very pleased to find that they indeed kept their promise and returned, exactly one year later. But the hobbit would still not sign. They came by a year after that, as well, and a year after that and a year after that.

In the end, Balin did not even bother to bring the contract along.

The Company, it appeared, would last forever. Bilbo would not have it any other way.

The years passed by rapidly and Bilbo, who had always had a passion for writing, found himself behind his desk more often, writing about the things he had seen. This was after his nephew Frodo had come to live with him. He was very fond of the boy – almost as fond as Frodo was of him – and knew how he loved Bilbo's stories. So he wrote a story called 'There and Back Again' for him.

It was about adventures, about trolls, about wizards, spiders and elves. About men and dwarves and dragons and battles. About Balin, Dwalin, Oin, Gloin, Ori, Nori, Dori, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Fili, Kili and Thorin. Oh, Thorin.

So it was that his nephew found him in his drawing room one morning.

Frodo, who knew his uncle better than any hobbit, had learned how hard it could be for Bilbo to write down his adventures and knew how the old hobbit disliked being disturbed, so he approached him carefully and asked quietly; 'How is your book coming along, uncle?'

'It is nearing its end,' Bilbo answered without looking up from his work and scribbling on.

'Uncle?' Frodo asked carefully.

'Not now, boy,' the old hobbit grumbled.

'I'll be out before you know,' his nephew laughed, 'I was just wondering-'

Bilbo put his pen down and looked over his shoulder to see Frodo watching him from across the room. 'Yes?' he asked, gesturing for him to finish the sentence.

Frodo saw tears glisten in his uncle's eyes and heard how his voice trembled slightly.

'Are you alright?' he asked.

'Yes,' Bilbo told him without thinking twice, 'Yes, I'm fine.' Then he turned back and picked his quill up again.

'I am fine.'

**The End**

**So there we are. At the end of all things.**

**Well, aren't we a little dramatic today? **

**Wow. This is the end of my first ever fic and I really hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Honestly, it was the best.**

**I'm currently working on a small writing project with my best friend, so somewhere along the line you'll hear from that, but for now, I'm done writing, apparently. I don't want to be done, so if you have a nice idea, don't hesitate to give me some inspiration. Okay, I have got to wrap this up, don't I?**

**Very well. This is it. The end. Please leave a review, if you like. I'd appreciate it very, very much.**

**Lots of love, Luna.**


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